FAMILY owned developer, Skipton Properties, has teamed up with charity, the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and pledged to plant 250 trees before the end of the year.

Employees have recently planted the first 25 trees at Howgill Side Woodland, on the Howgill Estate in Beamsley, near Bolton Abbey.

And, over the course of the year they will plant a further 225 native broadleaf trees, including hazel, rowan and birch, in the countryside around Skipton, helping to create new native woodlands that will provide habitats for wildlife and help to reduce the impact of climate change.

Sarah Barraclough, managing director of Skipton Properties, said: “We’re delighted to have planted the first 25 of 250 trees that we’ll be planting in 2019.

“As well as being a positive environmental addition, many of the new woodlands that we’re helping to create will also have public access, so we’ll be creating beautiful new spaces that everyone, including our customers, can enjoy.”

She added: “The initiative will also allow our staff to take part in a practical and rewarding conservation project that supports their area across the year, which they’re all really excited about.”

The partnership is part of Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust’s Together for Trees campaign, which will see the charity create 100 hectares of beautiful new woodland across the Dales over the next two years.

David Sharrod,YDMT chief executive, said: “We’re really grateful to Skipton Properties for their support in helping to restore native woodland to the Yorkshire Dales.

“Trees are vital to so many aspects of life. As well as providing habitats for wildlife, reducing flooding and helping to combat climate change, we know that trees help to reduce stress and anxiety and promote a healthier lifestyle.

“We are really appreciative of Skipton Properties and look forward to seeing the partnership develop in the future.”

David Harrison, who owns the land where the trees were planted, added: “I moved to Howgill Side in 2006 and a year later started working with Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust to plant trees. The more we planted the more I saw the positive impact they have on the local wildlife.

“I think projects like this demonstrate that farming and conservation can work hand-in-hand and greatly benefit the environment.”

Skipton Properties is a family-owned-and-run developer that was established in 1986 by Brian Verity. His two daughters are now directors of the company and lead a team of long-serving craftsmen and site managers that build homes across Yorkshire and Lancashire.