SKIPTON Building Society is to plant thousands of trees in a partnership with the Woodland Trust announced on World Environment Day today.

The society has pledged to mitigate its carbon footprint by planting at least 15,000 trees this year in the Northern Forest.

The Woodland Trust, the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity, has a 25-year plan to plant 50 million trees in the forest which will stretch along the M62 corridor including Bradford.

Society chairman Robert East (pictured left with trust chief executive David Cutter) said: “We want to give back more to the planet than we take, which is just one of the many reasons why we were so eager to team up with the Woodland Trust. Our environmental commitment to planting trees will not only mitigate the business’s carbon footprint, but it will also help to reduce flood risks and improve the environment for wildlife, people and also the climate."

“Our partnership will continue past the plantation of the saplings, as we will continue to support the improvement of the environment through a number of initiatives, including colleague volunteering.”

Karl Mitchell, director of fundraising at the Woodland Trust, said: “We are delighted that Skipton Building Society is beginning a new partnership with us. Planting trees is a great way to achieve their ambitions to mitigate their carbon footprint.

"Not only do trees benefit the environment by soaking up harmful carbon they also make our neighbourhoods and countryside more oxygen rich. They produce natural areas for adventures and are rich in wildlife. We look forward to seeing the relationship develop.”