THE HEART of England Forest Charity will be getting their hands dirty today as they aim to plant 10,000 trees inside 24 hours to raise awareness of the lack of woodland cover in the UK.
The ambitious challenge has blossomed from the simple idea that for every picture, photo or representation of ‘what a tree means to you’ – sent via email or social media – a tree will be planted in the Heart of England Forest.
All the images will then be collated into a virtual forest on www.treesfortrees.co.uk where entrants will be able to watch live updates of the forest as new woodland is created.
Set up in 1996 by Felix Dennis – the late Chairman of Dennis Publishing – the Heart of England Forest Charity has the long-term goal of planting a 30,000 acre native broadleaf woodland in the heart of England.
The purpose of the forest is to create a place of tranquility and natural beauty that’s open to everyone to enjoy for generations to come.
The challenge is part of a wider campaign by media brand The Drum called ‘Do It Day’ – which aims to change the world for the better in a day through the power of marketing.
Jon Snow, broadcaster and chairman of the trustees for the Heart of England Forest Charity said: “Planting 10,000 trees in one day is no mean feat and we need the British public’s support to help us achieve it.
“We are confident that we will make the #treesfortrees campaign a reality and plant an entire forest in a day – it’s a fantastic challenge and one that I urge everyone to get involved with.”
James Tye, CEO of Dennis Publishing, said: “It’s a difficult challenge, but one we believe is truly unique and will make a real difference to woodland coverage in the UK.
“Over 200 staff from Dennis have volunteered to help plant the 10,000 trees today – we look forward to receiving everyone’s images so we can start planting the forest.”
Gordon Young, editor for The Drum said: “This year we wanted to prove that marketing can achieve something truly great in just one day.
“The Heart of England and Dennis challenge will really showcase how marketing can change the world.”
For more information, go to www.treesfortrees.co.uk
