IKEA and Woodland Trust celebrate planting

The ‘Trees for Communities’ initiative was unveiled in 2012, following a successful period working with the Woodland Trust on the ‘Foot of Forest’ campaign to plant over 300 acres of woodland. The scheme provides packs of native trees to schools and community groups through a substantial donation from the IKEA FAMILY loyalty programme and shoppers donating at the till.

The packs are intended to create beautiful wooded areas that people can enjoy locally for years to come. All these community groups are within the vicinity of IKEA’s stores in the UK, and they have all played an active part in this achievement.

In Northern Ireland, donations from IKEA Belfast and its customers have helped to plant 60,270 trees in parks and wooded areas here since the store opened in 2007.

To celebrate the one millionth tree milestone in Northern Ireland, co-workers from the Belfast store visited Dromara Community Group, near Ballynahinch in County Down.  

The young people, aged between 16 and 21, have set their sights on creating an allotment, with over 100 native trees – including a colourful mix of blackthorn, crab apple and dog rose – at the core.

Gail Burns is the group leader and said: “This project is meaningful in so many ways.  It can sometimes be hard for teenagers to find their place in the community, and this is an opportunity for our young people to do something really constructive.  Their determination to transform this land, previously used as a local dumping ground, is truly heartening. They’re full of ideas and are delighted that others are taking an interest in their work.”

 Lynn Campbell from IKEA Belfast said: “We are really proud to have partnered with the Woodland Trust for the past seven years as part of our ongoing commitment to our local communities. To have contributed over 60,000 trees as part of the one million that have now been planted across the UK is a great achievement and testament to our commitment to sustainability and ensuring our environment is safe for years to come.”

Patrick Cregg MBE, director of the Woodland Trust in Northern Ireland, added: “Thanks to IKEA FAMILY members, a remarkable one million trees are now springing to life across the UK.  It’s a project that’s particularly meaningful to Northern Ireland, one of the least-wooded countries in the whole of Europe.  And I’m encouraged by local interest.  The determination of teenagers especially, as in the example of Dromara Community Group, is truly inspirational.”

To find out more, please visit the IKEA website ikea.co.uk/IKEAFAMILY

Go to the Woodland Trust’s special millionth tree celebration page: www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/IKEA

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