Team members from Oakland Care’s eight care homes have joined a range of volunteer tree planting events in Essex.

The care home group has partnered with Essex County Council’s Essex Forestry Initiative, a five-year programme launched in October 2019 that commits to planting around 375,000 trees in the county, equivalent to the size of 210 football pitches, through a £1 million initiative.

Oakland Care has committed to planting 1,000 trees per year as part of its industry leading commitment to sustainability and combating climate change.

Over the last 12 months, the care home provider has retained its status as the only carbon neutral care group in the UK for a second year running and achieved Level 3 certification by Green Mark, the highest grade awarded by the sustainability specialist.  

Chief executive officer Joanne Balmer and her team have also introduced a range of inclusive and effective green initiatives, which have brought team members and residents together for a collaborative cause that creates a long-lasting impact in social care and beyond. This culminated in the successful launch of a new strategy promoting green initiatives across their eight care homes in September.  

The tree planting initiative represents a strong start for the care home group ion 2023 and the first of many environmentally focused activities planned for the year ahead.

Balmer said: “It was a truly fantastic day. I am incredibly proud of all our team members across Oakland Care who came together to support at the various tree planting events throughout Essex. It was a perfect way to continue our sustainability journey into 2023, and a big step towards achieving our goal of planting 1,000 trees every single year.

“Importantly, it was a true example of everybody’s commitment at Oakland Care to work as one as we look to demonstrate how our sector can be a positive force in the fight against climate change. We want to continue encouraging other care home providers to push ahead with their own journey to improve sustainability, through partaking in initiatives such as this.”