Dame Judi Dench and Pete Waterman are encouraging us to walk off the Christmas dinner with a stroll through a local wood!
The pair have been talking about their love of woods in support of the Woodland Trust’s annual Christmas Card Recycling Scheme.
The scheme involves people recycling their Christmas cards in bins at WHSmith, Tesco, TK Maxx and M&S, throughout January and leads to thousands of trees being planted in the UK.
The scheme is all part of the charity’s drive to increase woodland cover in the UK, as the UK only has an average of 12% compared to the European figure of 44%.
The Oscar winning actress and music supremo are challenging people to visit one of the Woodland Trust's 1100 sites.
Dame Judi Dench said: “I find our woods and forests absolutely remarkable. They have follies, grottos, waterfalls and surprise views, not forgetting the stunning natural beauty of the trees and glades. They have been a source of inspiration for artists and writers for centuries. A truly magical setting for a walk this Christmas.
“The Woodland Trust do a marvellous job looking after woods and I applaud their efforts. You can support them too – recycle your Christmas cards in their scheme and help them plant the woods of the future.”
Pete Waterman said: “Many people know of my enthusiasm for trains and train journeys - it’s the only way to travel! I love looking out of the window and watching the magic of nature as the seasons change. Nature is something that we all take for granted and those people who put so much time, effort and resources into preserving the countryside for generation after generation are largely forgotten. This is why I am delighted to support The Woodland Trust in their winter initiative of encouraging people to recycle their Christmas Cards.
“I don’t profess to be an expert but I’m told that recycling cards means more trees can be planted. Please support The Woodland Trust with your recycled Christmas cards this year, then, get well wrapped up (as my Mum used to say) and enjoy some fresh air with a woodland walk this Boxing Day. You know the great thing about all this? It’s free! Won’t cost you a penny! And in the words of one of my hits ‘I Should Be So Lucky’!!”
Sue Holden, Chief Executive of the Woodland Trust, said: “A walk in your local wood is a fantastic way to spend Boxing Day. While you enjoy your visit please think about recycling your cards with the Woodland Trust Christmas Card Recycling Scheme. The trees which will be planted from the money generated this January will help plant more wonderful woodland for people to enjoy forever.”
Last year the Woodland Trust collected 73.6 million Christmas cards which enabled the charity to plant 17,000 trees in some of its 1,000 UK woods.
The trees are paid for by income from recycling credits, which is income paid by local authorities for waste that does not have to be disposed of in landfill sites.
Notes to editors
For media enquiries contact:
Alex Claydon in the Woodland Trust Press Office, on 0845 293 5691 or 0845 293 5605, email: alexclaydon@woodlandtrust.org.uk
The Woodland Trust:
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters.
The Trust has three key aims: i) to enable the creation of more native woods and places rich in trees ii) to protect native woods, trees and their wildlife for the future iii) to inspire everyone to enjoy and value woods and trees
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free.
Participating stores:
1 UK mainland WHSmith high street stores only – (excludes all WHSmith Travel stores, Isle of Wight, Belfast and Channel Islands).
2 All Tesco supermarkets including selected Express stores
3 Only stores in the UK and Northern Ireland
4 All mainland M&S stores including selected M&S Simply Food stores. Excludes Isle of Man and Channel Islands.