Helen Morgan MP, Councillor Joyce Barrow and Jim Holland visited Woodhill Park Estate near Oswestry to plant 1,000 trees with Carma, who support veterans through tree planting activities throughout the UK.
Hedges of dogwood, guelder rose and hawthorn were planted in the shape of a St George’s Cross in memory of the veterans who have served their country. The trees and the day were sponsored by Clearwater whose leadership team planted alongside the veterans.
Jim Holland and Iain Gurney created Carma to help employ UK veterans on the pathway to resettlement to plant trees in the UK.
Since co-founding Carma | B-Corp they have planted thousands of trees every month.
“I’ve had the best life. Thirteen years in the Royal Navy was just the start,” says Jim.
“We started by working with the Green Task Force, which provides pathways to employment for veterans and service leavers.”
A staggering 6% of serving and former personnel – and 17% of those that have been in a combat situation – suffer from some form of PTSD. Service leavers also face a lot of stress and anxiety when transitioning from service life.
It has been proven that getting veterans involved in Nature-Based Therapy (NBT) has a positive effect on their mental health.
In September, they planted 66,113 trees and created 660 workdays of employment across the globe.
“This cause means a lot to myself and my family,” said Helen Morgan MP for North Shropshire.
Picture credit: Graham Mitchell.