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Posted on 19 Oct 2022

Nottinghamshire Healthcare is delighted to have won the NHS Forest award for ‘The most NHS Forest trees planted in 2021-22’ for the Rampton Woodland tree planting project.

An incredible 4,120 trees were donated and planted on Rampton Hospital land (outside the secure area) earlier this year in a partnership with The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and the Probation Service. The planting was carried out by People on Probation (POPs) as part of a Community Payback scheme focused on practical conservation.

As well as providing meaningful and engaging work for the POPs, the new woodland will have environmental benefits for the site too. The tree species include oak, cherry, and hawthorn, which will support an array of wildlife as they establish, as well as reducing flood risk. The project offers additional co-benefits by improving the local environment for staff, visitors, and patients to the hospital.

Dr Sue Elcock, Executive Director for Forensic Services and Executive Medical Director at the Trust said: “We’re delighted to have won this award in recognition of our fantastic tree planting project, which was carried out through successful partnership working. Sustainability is a key priority for the Trust as detailed in our Green Plan and this project plays a key part in helping us to achieve these ambitions.”

The partnership will continue over the next few years as the POPs will be returning to site to care for the trees and plant additional trees in the woodland and adjacent areas. Rampton patients will be selecting a name for the new woodland. The woodland will contribute to the Queen’s Green Canopy.

The award was announced as part of the NHS Forest conference on Wednesday 19 October. A huge congratulations to all involved in this fantastic achievement.