As part of its commitment to protecting the environment and creating sustainable communities, colleagues from leading housing provider Stonewater got their hands dirty by making a contribution to the beautiful tree-lined landscape at Dinton Pastures, in partnership with the Community Forest Trust (CFT).
The two organisations teamed up on the 26th February to coppice and clear some of the trees across Dinton Pastures, to promote growth among the woodland and support the survival of local wildlife. The park, which features an award-winning play area and infamous for its paths and trails, was badly affected by the flooding caused by Storm Dennis a few weeks ago.
In addition to working towards its commitment of providing everyone with the opportunity to have a place that they can call home, Stonewater is also looking for new ways to transform, strengthen and enhance the communities it’s working within.
To achieve this, the affordable housing provider donates £50 to CFT for every new house it builds, helping to plant five trees and connect more people to nature, as well as planting as least one tree for every house they build on each development.
The event at Dinton Pastures was the first of its kind, with colleagues from Stonewater supporting the CFT to help revive some of the recently weather-damaged areas and mitigate the impact of climate change. Stonewater was also the first housing association to partner with the CFT and supporting its tree planting initiative.
Jonathan Layzell, Executive Director of Development at Stonewater, said: “Councils and housing providers, including Stonewater, have been accelerating their housebuilding programmes to deliver more affordable, high-quality homes in high demand areas. While the number of homes we build is important in order to tackle the housing crisis, there is also a need to focus on quality, design, sense of place and legacy of any new homes being constructed.
“It’s for this reason we recognise the importance of investing into initiatives that are supporting the creation of stronger and greener communities. By working with the CFT, we not only get to make a contribution by honing our forestry skills at events like this, but we also can make sure that we are doing as much as possible to protect the environment and provide beautiful places for our customers to live in.”
Sarah Nurton at Community Forest Trust, commented: “We are thrilled to be working with Stonewater as part of this national partnership to plant trees and improve green spaces across the UK. We need to protect and preserve our environment for both people and wildlife, leaving a lasting green legacy for the next generation.”
Header images shows Agata Michalik, IT Project Coordinator at Stonewater; Jonathan Layzell, Executive Director of Development at Stonewater and Bhupinder Kaur, IT Governance Coordinator at Stonewater.
