Eight Mature Trees Saved from Landfill and Rehomed with Valley Veterans

Eight mature trees on our Portishead site could not be retained as part of the works. Under normal circumstances, they would have been removed and sent to landfill, a routine outcome on projects of this type and one that carries both a disposal cost and the loss of established growth that takes decades to replace.

We took a different route. Working with Valley Veterans, a charity we have supported over several years, we set out to lift the trees intact and replant them at the charity’s site, where they now enhance a multi-use therapeutic green space used by veterans and their families. Mature trees are heavy, awkward and unforgiving if handled badly, and moving them successfully takes planning rather than goodwill alone. The process ran to six months, covering survey and selection, lifting method, transport, ground preparation at the receiving site, planting and aftercare.

Biodiversity specialists were involved throughout to ensure the trees were lifted at the right time and in the right way, and that the receiving ground would support them long term. Mimo Groundworks assisted with the removal at Portishead, and our own groundworkers were on hand across both sites.

The project was arranged by our site team, with Freya Church, our Head of Social Value, coordinating with the charity. At Valley Veterans, Secretary Nigel Locke and Treasurer Sian Bromwell, along with Paul Bromwell, received the trees and have taken on their ongoing care. David Carmody at LBS donated the fence posts used to protect and support the trees while they establish, a contribution that made the replanting viable.

The total value of the donation sits at around £10,000, making it one of the largest single social value contributions we have delivered. More importantly, eight established trees are now growing in a space designed to support wellbeing and recovery, rather than sitting in a landfill cell.

The project also marks the start of a wider commitment in the region as we prepare to begin a major scheme in Bristol.