Thirty-five ALVANCE British Aluminium staff members and their families came together on Saturday October 22 to get their hands dirty and plant native Scottish trees within a protected woodland enclosure in Glen Nevis, Fort William. 

The event was formed as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC), and, following the wishes of His Majesty the King, the QGC initiative will be extended to the end of March 2023 to give people the opportunity to plant trees in memoriam to honour the late Queen Elizabeth II. 

Colleagues from JAHAMA Highland Estates with support from the Nevis Landscape Partnership, provided 500 native tree saplings that included Caledonian Pine, Oak and Hazel. 

• There was plenty of enthusiasm from the younger members of the tree-planting squad.  

All these trees have been sourced from close to or within Glen Nevis itself, so have good provenance for the area. In addition, many of the seeds were originally collected by local Lochaber school children and grown on locally. 

Many people question how they may contribute to helping to resolve the wider climate change challenges that we all face today and in the coming years. 

Many are looking for practical ways they can make a difference. The feedback from staff has been extremely positive, as the children particularly felt they were part of something special that benefits both wildlife and humans. 

• One green-fingered youngster gets ready top plant a young oak tree sapling.  

Due to the success of the event, plans are coming together of how local school groups and organisations could also benefit from getting involved in these types of events in the future. 

Tom Uppington, Managing Director, ALVANCE British Aluminium, commented on the event saying: ‘One positive contribution that ALVANCE British Aluminium can do is to support our staff and their families to provide practical opportunities for the planting of native Scottish trees, to contribute towards an offset of our own individual carbon footprint, as well as leave an environmental legacy for future generations to enjoy and benefit from.’ 

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