SKIPTON Building Society has pledged to plant at least 15,000 trees in the next 12 months.

Announcing its partnership with the Woodland Trust on World Environment Day, June 5, the building society pledged to mitigate its carbon footprint by planting the trees in the Northern Forest.

The Woodland Trust is the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity, protecting and restoring woodland with its ambitious 25 year plan to plant 50 million trees as part of its Northern Forest project.

Robert East, chairman of Skipton Building Society, said: “We want to give back more to the planet than we take, which is just one of the many reasons why we were so eager to team up with the Woodland Trust. Our environmental commitment to planting trees will not only mitigate the business’s carbon footprint, but it will also help to reduce flood risks and improve the environment for wildlife, people and also the climate.

“Our partnership will continue past the plantation of the saplings, as we will continue to support the improvement of the environment through a number of initiatives, including colleague volunteering.”

Karl Mitchell, director of fundraising at the Woodland Trust said: “We are delighted that Skipton Building Society is beginning a new partnership with us. Planting trees is a great way to achieve their ambitions to mitigate their carbon footprint. Not only do trees benefit the environment by soaking up harmful carbon they also make our neighbourhoods and countryside more oxygen rich. They produce natural areas for adventures and are rich in wildlife. We look forward to seeing the relationship develop.”