Celebrating International Day of Forests 2023

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Every year, March 21 marks the International Day of Forests. This year’s theme is Forests and Health, and this special day is a great opportunity to recognize how forests positively contribute to our lives in so many ways. From providing food, shelter, oxygen production, carbon storage, to water filtration, soil stabilization and biodiversity protection —it’s clear that forests matter! Let’s take a look at why this day is so important.

The Importance of Forests

Forests are vital for people’s livelihoods around the world. Forests help regulate water cycles, prevent soil erosion, clean air, and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This meaning that they play an important role in mitigating climate change.

In light of this importance, the International Day of Forests was established by the United Nations in 2013 with the goal of raising awareness about sustainable forest management and conservation efforts around the world. This day offers us an opportunity to celebrate successes such as reforestation and protecting threatened species. Nonetheless, it also gives us the chance to recognise challenges such as deforestation and cultivate change.

How Forests Support Human Health

Forests play an essential role in our health, providing many important benefits. Trees process air pollution, removing harmful particles and toxins from the air we breathe. This helps to decrease the number of illnesses caused by air pollution-related diseases such as asthma and cancer.

Forests also provide us with sources of clean water, which are crucial to our well-being. They act as natural water filtration systems which keep waterways clean and suitable for drinking purposes.

In addition, forests play a big part in reducing the shift in climate that has been observed due to global warming by storing large amounts of carbon dioxide and helping to regulate global temperatures. All in all, forests are fundamental to our long-term health and need to be protected for us and future generations.

What Can You Do?

International Day of Forests provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our own actions related to forests and what we can do every day to make sure they keep providing us with clean air, fresh water, food security, jobs, recreation opportunities—and so much more! Here are some simple things you can do:

  • Get involved in local tree planting opportunities. We have volunteered through Protect Earth before, they hold a whole range of tree planting opportunities all across the UK. Read all about our tree planting day in Cheltenham here!
  • Reduce your consumption of wood products whenever possible by opting for FSC certified products
  • Support businesses that prioritise sustainable forestry practices
  • Sign petitions that support protecting our endangered forests

On International Day of Forests 2023 we honour all that forests provide for us throughout history—and all that they will continue doing for future generations if we take action now! We challenge you to take part in this celebration by making small changes today that have a big impact in years to come.

WestWon Donates to Local Infant School

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Here at WestWon, we like to help the local community wherever we can. So whether that be supporting local sports clubs, team tree planting days, or supplying tools to enhance local education, we are committed to making an impact.

Recently, we donated to a local infant school based in Penn, not too far from our offices in High Wycombe. Our donation consisted of supplying the school with laptops to support the children’s digital learning.

Tylers Green First School is a small village school established in 1876 with a strong Eco-School status. A school with similar values to ours resonated with us and we wanted to help at a time when school budgets are tightening.

We believe that access to technology can open up educational opportunities and encourage better learning for students. By providing these laptops, we hope that students at this school can learn in new ways that correlate with the school’s curriculum.

Headteacher of Tylers Green First School, Jude Talbot speaks on what our donation means to them:

“We would very much like to thank WestWon for their kind donation of 12 laptops, complete with accessories and trolley, for the children to use in school.

The laptops are the perfect size for Infant children and will therefore be used in class every day.  We have a very demanding computing curriculum. So the addition of these laptops will help our children to learn to code!

The children also love making PowerPoints and Year 2 have been busy making PowerPoints. They’ve been all about Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole, complete with animations and spinning text. As you may have heard, budgets in schools are stretched, and this kind donation has helped us so greatly.”

Contact Us

We are always looking for ways in which we can give back. Please get in touch if you are holding or just aware of any community-based projects in the Buckinghamshire area! We would love to get involved, give us a call on 01494 611 456, or drop an email to [email protected]

WestWon sales team get sowing saplings!

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Here at WestWon, we believe that our commitment to planet should also include us mucking in too. So, on Tuesday 6th of December five members of our sales team headed off to a local tree planting opportunity in our neighbouring town, Aylesbury.

Every month we have hundreds of trees planted on behalf of our clients and well as part of our climate positive workforce. But our team wanted to make direct impact, and they did exactly that!

Our sales team along with a group of fellow volunteers contributed to a local project. This was dedicated to adding 4,000 trees around Aylesbury and surrounding areas. We were so happy to be part of a local environmentally focused event. We can now proudly say that we have a variety of tree species growing on our very doorstep!

The Process

Step 1

With shovels in hand, our first job was to wedge a big enough hole open in the ground. It had to be deep enough for the roots to be placed underground and covered with enough soil.

Step 2

Once we had made an accommodating slot in the ground for our sapling, we then inserted it into its new home.

Step 3

Next was to pat down the soil around it so that the sapling couldn’t be ripped up by a peckish predator.

Step 4

Last but not least, we went round every tree once more and did some mulching. This is a layer of material placed over the soil. This would allow the tree to have the best chance of surviving.

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We don’t just support the growth of trees…

By choosing to finance through WestWon you are also choosing to support the restoration of our planet. Thanks to our clients as well as being a climate positive workforce, we now have a whopping 20,194 trees flourishing in the WestWon Woodland! You can track the growth of the woodland here.

Why not get in touch to explore your business growth options? Give us a call on 01494 611 456, or drop an email to [email protected] and a member of our expert team will get back to you.

WestWon | Net Zero Buckinghamshire Business of the Year

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Last Wednesday we were privileged enough to attend the Buckinghamshire Business Awards Ceremony as finalists for TWO awards! The ceremony was held at the dazzling Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, where we were fed, watered (does champagne count?), caricatured, and most importantly bestowed the coveted Net Zero Buckinghamshire Business of the Year Award.

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Bucks Business awards
net zero award

The Buckinghamshire Business Awards is designed to recognise and reward the hard work and triumphs of businesses across the county. There were twelve awards up for grabs for a whole variety of different business accomplishments. So, it was brilliant to celebrate a multitude of different victories from a range of local industries.

We felt lucky enough to be nominated as finalists for the Apprentice and Young Person Employer and Net Zero Buckinghamshire Business of the Year, but to actually win a category, we feel even more honoured. It meant the world to us to be recognised for all our efforts towards prioritising the planet as a company.

As of the start of this year we began pushing our green agenda more than ever. We did this by implementing the WestWon Woodland. For those who aren’t familiar with our green initiative already, the WestWon Woodland is whereby we have a tree planted for every month of a finance agreement made through us.

Our climate focused journey

Our current climate crisis has been at the forefront of many of our minds for the last couple of years now. Therefore, we thought it best to start taking restorative climate action ourselves. We started off by becoming a climate positive workforce last October.

What does it mean to be a climate positive workforce?

Being a climate positive workforce means that all our employee emissions are offset through climate positive projects and tree planting all around the world. This can range from the preservation of rainforests to the generation of renewable energy.

You can view all our climate positive projects on our virtual WestWon Woodland map below. Just look out for the markers colour coded blue!

Take me to the WestWon Woodland Map

The WestWon Woodland

We then expanded upon this idea, to launch an environmentally focused project that included our customers too. And from this, the WestWon Woodland was born. Additionally, we make sure to thank our customers each month for making this possible. Therefore, we send each customer a certificate of plantation (made from 100% recycled paper of course!), this outlines the number of trees as well as the carbon that their finance agreement will eventually offset once the trees are full grown.

Not to mention all the small choices and actions that we have made as a company over the past years that all align with our end goal:

  • Installation of LED lighting throughout our offices
  • Paperless office where possible, and all paper that is used is sourced from 100% recycled materials
  • The thickest of carpet and ceiling tiles to reduce our energy consumption
  • Introduction of electric company vehicles
  • Using an outsourced datacentre to house our IT systems in Helsinki powered by solar panels.
  • Recycling bins on all floors of the office
  • No gas use in office building

Our path to Net Zero

Net Zero is a hard target to achieve, but that doesn’t stop us from trying our best to reach it- despite how long it may take. The goal of Net Zero may seem overwhelming to many businesses as it means adding no more carbon emissions to the atmosphere than the amount they are taking out. However, what is important is that a Net Zero strategy is in place. Nearly a third of the UK’s largest businesses pledge to eliminate their contribution to carbon emissions by 2050. But that doesn’t mean that the smaller sized UK businesses can’t get involved too. The pressure is now on for everyone to ‘do their bit’.

As our business and team continues to grow, we will continue to work towards Net Zero. On to a more nearby goal, we are currently on target to achieving our 5-year objective to planting 100,000 trees in the WestWon Woodland and consequently removing 7,500 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere. At time of writing, we have 15, 428 flourishing in the WestWon Woodland, these trees will ultimately remove 521.66 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere once fully grown!

Congratulations fellow contestants!

We would also like to say a huge congratulations to the other winners as well as the finalists! It was wonderful to meet with both new and familiar faces and celebrate each other’s triumphs!

Contact Us

Should you wish to learn more about our green agenda, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Give us a call on 01494 611 456, or send an email to [email protected].

WestWon Sales Director prepares for the Leeds Big Sleep and we need your help

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Our Sales Director, Richard Porter, felt as though more needed to be done to help those in his community. Therefore, he is due to participate in the Leeds Big Sleep to support 3 great causes this November. And you can help!

Show your Support

 

What is the Leeds Big Sleep Out?

The Leeds Big Sleep is a fundraising event held at Headingly Stadium. Participants are expected to give up one night of comfort to sleep out in the cold with cardboard for a bed to get a feel for what life is like for homeless people most nights.

What does the fundraising go towards?

The money raised is spread between 3 Leeds based charities:

St George’s Crypt, founded in 1930, have been aiding homeless people and disadvantaged adults for decades now. Therefore they support the unprivileged groups by offering:

  • Food
  • Emergency accommodation
  • Specialist residential projects
  • Recovery from addiction
  • Volunteering/work experience
  • Skills training for their service users
  • And so much more.

St Gemma’s Hospice provides attentive care and accommodation to those with life-threatening illnesses. Therefore their care is free of charge to anyone who needs it. However, it is the donations that make that possible. That is why it is so important that people continue to contribute towards this vital cause.

Lastly, the Leeds Rhino Foundation perpetuates the power of community. They do this through the outlet of sport. Therefore their mission is to make a lasting and positive impact on individual’s lives through sport.

Hear from Richard Porter himself

“Living in the area, I can see that there sadly seems to be more people sleeping rough on the streets in Leeds.

I just felt I needed to do more to help. Therefore just giving up one night to sleep on some cardboard in the hope of raising awareness, and sponsors for the charities is the least I can do. Every penny raised is shared equally between the three Leeds based Charities and therefore helps people that are in desperate need.”

Get Involved

Richard will do the tough part; all we ask is that you help us reach our target of £500 to help support these amazing causes. Any contributions will be greatly appreciated! You can do this by visiting our Just Giving page.

Donate Here

WestWon selected as finalists for TWO Buckinghamshire Business Awards

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We are delighted to announce that we have been nominated as finalists for two award categories for the Buckinghamshire Business Awards. Both award categories are causes close to our hearts and we are flattered to have gained recognition for our efforts towards them. Read on to find out what we have been working towards!

Our Ongoing Journey to Net Zero

Here at WestWon we are passionate about restoring the health of our planet. As of the start of this year we implemented our WestWon Woodland initiative. This works by us having a tree planted for every month of a finance agreement made through any of the immediate WestWon family. This includes WestWon, WestWon Dental, Fit Out Finance and VAT Loans. For example, for a 5-year finance agreement that is 60 trees planted in the WestWon Woodland!

So far, the WestWon Woodland consists of 13,815 flourishing trees across the globe! This means that we are on target to reaching our ultimate goal of 100,000 trees by 2026 and thus removing 7,500 tonnes of carbon from our atmosphere!

Watch the WestWon Woodland grow here!

 

In addition to this, we are proud to call ourselves a climate positive company. This means that all WestWon employee emissions are offset through various climate positive projects and tree planting around the world.

Not only this but we also ensure that as a company we act as sustainably as possible. Here are some ways by which we try to do our bit in-house:

  • LED lighting is installed throughout the office
  • WestWon are a paperless office where possible and any paper that we do use is made from 100% recycled material
  • We have insulated ceiling tiles as well as the thickest carpet tiles to reduce our energy consumption
  • Recycling bins are located on every floor of the office encouraging employees to recycle at work as well as at home
  • Introduction of electric company cars
  • No gas is used in the offices
  • Outsourced data centre that is powered by solar to house our IT systems

Kickstarting Careers

We also strongly believe in getting young people on a career path and many of our past and present employees can exemplify this. Did you know that George, our commercial director joined at the age of just 20? Furthermore, our top salesperson Royah, joined at age 23. Both George and Royah are now coming up to their 10-year WestWon anniversary and look forward to their bright future with the company. More recently, in 2021, we welcomed 6 fresh faces to the team onboard, all under the age of 23.

Here at WestWon we believe it to be imperative to equip our employees with the skills needed to elevate their careers. Some have even gone on to use these skills to build their own businesses and we love to see it!

You can see some examples of WestWon employee journeys here.

Consequently, because of our principles above, we have been nominated for Net Zero Buckinghamshire Business of the year, sponsored by Handelsbanken. In addition to the Apprentice & Young Person Employer of the year, sponsored by Buckinghamshire Council. We would like to congratulate all fellow finalists and look forward to meeting at the Awards ceremony in September!

Become part of a company that cares – Get In Touch

Are you an enthusiastic, capable, thoughtful, and energetic individual looking to become a high earner? If so, head over to our careers page to find out more about our current vacancies. If you are interested in joining our dynamic and friendly team, please send your CV to [email protected]. Or just for a private chat regarding the role, feel free to give us a call on 01494 611 456.

Next major green goal achieved!

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We have finally achieved our next major green goal of planting 10,000 trees in the WestWon Woodland! We are so proud to have reached this incredible feat and to be continually evolving on our green journey throughout the year. Reaching the milestone of 10,000 trees proves to us that we are one step closer to making a big difference for our planet. We hope that since we have started our green journey we have also been able to share useful tips that you can implement in your own office to help combat the current climate crisis. We can proudly say that we have learnt a lot on our journey! This includes the fact that planting 10,000 trees are equivalent to filling around 130 football pitches! However, we also know that we have a long way to go…

Looking to the future

We at WestWon know we still have a lot of work to do. As you may have seen before, the goals we set for ourselves are ambitious! We are aiming to plant over 100,000 trees in the WestWon Woodland within 5 years. This in turn means we will hope to offset around 7,500 tonnes of CO2 within these 5 years also. As well as the WestWon Woodland we are also implementing other things around the office which we hope will make a small difference within our green agenda.

We have been a paperless office now for over a decade, as well as installed LED lights. We have recycling bins, electric vehicles as company cars, and we encourage staff to walk to work or even use public transport as much as possible. Also, any paper we use is 100% recycled, and this is only used if absolutely necessary. In the future we hope to do much more for the environment. Even if they are small changes, remember they are impactful! If you would like to read more about our WestWon Woodland then you can do so here. This also includes a map of where all our trees are located all around the world!

Clean Air Day

As a part of our green journey, a lot of that is about education. On Thursday last week we were able to attend the Clean Air Day Event at Buckingham University, with Buckinghamshire Business First. We learnt so much about our planet as well as the detrimental impacts air pollution can have on us as individuals. We talked to several small businesses about how they have been mitigating the impacts of climate change, and the green choices they are making in day-to-day business decisions. If you would like more information on this, then please read our latest blog here.

Contact Us

If you would like more information on our next major green goal achieved, or any other finance needs you may have, then please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can email us on [email protected], or alternatively you can call us on 01494 611 456. You can also see more over on our LinkedIn page.

Clean Air Day 2022- let’s clear the air

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Today is the day that we bring awareness to our air pollution issues and the dire consequences that it has upon not just the health of the planet, but also humankind and wildlife.

Did you know that dirty air affects 97% of UK homes according to data from 2021? Air pollution affects us all, in and outside of our homes. Air pollution can cause an array of health issues, especially respiratory conditions. Ranging from asthma to lung cancer, the effects are becoming increasingly detrimental to us all. However, according to gov.uk the highest predicted disease to come of consistent exposure to moderate air pollution is coronary heart disease.

What is air pollution and why should we prioritise making it cleaner?

Air pollution happens when toxic gases, smoke and dust join forces with the air that then cause problems for all life on the planet as well as the actual planet itself. In fact, the thinning of the ozone layer was caused by air pollutants that come from manufactured chemicals. And even though UV radiation only accounts for a small percentage of global warming, it is still a component that we can avoid through reducing our use of solvents and propellants. And one of the most common propellants is the infamous CO2.

Carbon dioxide also indirectly impacts levels of carbon pollution through the warming of the planet. And as a result, smog is produced.

Nitrogen levels are also too high, and this has a knock-on-effect upon our wildlife. This is because pollinating insects get confused by its presence in the air and as a result miss out on up to 90% of their plant visits. Therefore, wildlife suffer due to a shortage of their food, nutrients as well as shelter.

What are we doing to reduce CO2 levels?

We have created the WestWon Woodland in our efforts to remove 7,500 of CO2 from the atmosphere by 2027. We are working towards this goal this through the planting of 100,000 trees across the globe. Within 6 months, alongside our customers, we have managed to plant just over 10% of our overall target.

We are also getting involved in an interactive local Business event centred around today. This is so that we can keep well informed of updates and new ways for our business to get involved in making a difference. We believe this will be a great opportunity for us to share green ideas with our local community of businesses.

How can you help?

We hope that our green agenda inspires other businesses to get involved too. No matter the size of your business, we can all help do our bit.

You may feel impotent as an individual with regards to saving the planet. But by applying a green mindset to your business as well as personal decisions, can contribute massively to a much wider impact. And it can not only help protect the planet, but some of these sustainable implementations can actually help you save some cash too.

Here are some budget friendly ways by which you can protect the future of our planet:

 

Renewable energy sourcing

Solar panels are the most cost-effective source of energy, especially considering the recent surge in energy bills. The sun is one of our most abundant sources of energy that isn’t due to go anywhere any time soon. So, you might as well take advantage of the life-giving beams whilst also saving yourself some pennies with incentivising ROIs.

You can read more about renewable energy sourcing here.

Install LED lighting

Similarly, by installing LED lightbulbs you are not only being more energy efficient, but also more cost efficient. LED lightbulbs are 90% more energy efficient than incandescent lightbulbs. Due to the energy and cost savings that they can provide you, they are well worth the consideration if you haven’t already!

Encourage greener commutes

This means perhaps setting incentives, or just generally motivating your employees to make their way to work sustainably. This could be opting towards public transport, walking, cycling, or even carpooling with employees that live nearby.

Alternatively, if possible, offer hybrid or remote working options for your employees. This will save them their trip as a whole!

Go paperless!

Going paperless is a great way for your company to save trees, money, and potentially space. We have been a paperless office for just over 10 years now and have never looked back.

In the new digital age, paper is no longer necessary in many offices where it is still used. Instead, by using cloud-based systems, all documents can be found in one place and no trees are harmed.

You may also find that by using this approach you will create more space that was beforehand used for file storage. And, depending on the volume of physical documents that you store, you may end up freeing up an entire room! This room could be used for a different purpose, or perhaps maybe bring in some extra income through letting it out. Not to mention the money you would save on the paper itself!

Recycling

Introducing a recycling system at the workplace is also a great way to get involved without breaking the bank. This will encourage employees to recycle waste at work as well as at home.

Contact Us

If you would like to learn more about what you can do to help clean our air and how we may be able to support you in doing so please get in touch. Give us a call on 01494 611 456, or send an email to [email protected].

Why renewable energy sourcing is the way forward

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Did you know a report published in 2017 revealed that just 100 corporations are responsible for over 70% of the world’s carbon emissions since 1988? Knowing that businesses are to blame for most of the planet’s fast decline is worrying. So, whether you’re an SME, or fully established corporate giant, we should all be looking to more sustainable ways running of our businesses. During this blog, I will be outlining some ways in which your company can make positive changes in favour of the planet.

The benefits of renewable energy for your business:

• A rather obvious one but, saving our planet. This should be in the forefront of all our minds. A great example of how much nature benefited from our absence was when the pandemic hit. A time when the world as we know it came to a halt. In the UK alone carbon emissions dropped by a whopping 48%!
• Positive PR for you. The increased emphasis upon our current climate crisis has pushed many to boycott giving business to non-sustainable brands.
• Improved return on investment. According to Forbes, renewable energy sources are giving much better returns than fossil fuels in the UK. Within a 5 year period, UK investments in green energy yielded returns of 75.4%, as opposed to only 8.8% for fossil fuels.

Types of renewable energy you should consider for your business:

 

Solar Panels

Solar energy is considered the cost effective of all renewable energy sources. Sunlight is our most abundant source of energy. Did you know that the amount of solar energy that hits the earth’s plane in just one hour is more than enough to source the world’s total energy requirements for a year? Just imagine the reduction in carbon emissions if all businesses transitioned to this clean and abundant source of energy.

However, we are mindful that solar panels can be fairly expensive to purchase upfront, despite the ultimate return on investment. That is why we believe finance is the best option for businesses looking to contribute towards a healthier planet, whilst also conscious of their cash flow health. You can learn more about solar panel finance and use our free lease calculator here.

Wind Turbines

Wind is also a bountiful source of energy and can generate power on a huge scale. This renewable energy source actually surpasses all other renewable energy sources in power. However, these energy sourcing giants have a hefty upfront cost. But this is where we can help. We can break this cost down into more affordable amounts with terms from 2-7 years. Learn more about acquiring a wind turbine to fuel your business through a finance option here.

Contact Us

Save the planet without compromising your cash flow with WestWon, give us a call today on 01494 611 456. Or, send an email to hello@westwon and friendly member of our team will get in touch with you.

Our new tree planting partner

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Numbers update

 

Here at WestWon we are proud to say we have passed our 6-month mark of being a climate positive workforce. We have been planting trees since January and have in turn also been offsetting our employees’ carbon emissions. As you may have seen, our goals are to plant 100,000 trees and reduce 7,500 carbon tonnes from the atmosphere in the next 5 years. To reach that goal, we must continue to keep up the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, with our donations going towards two very reputable businesses each month.

 

We have been using Ecologi since the end of last year, and we will continue to use them to offset our employee’s emissions. This is to ensure we stay as a climate positive workforce and will help lead us to our end goal of becoming a carbon neutral company in the future. We are now using a new organisation to plant trees, more about them below. Our current numbers however stand at:

 

  • 9,490 trees planted in the WestWon Woodland
  • 358.37 carbon tonnes reduced from the atmosphere

 

We have also updated our WestWon Woodland page to include a new map design, so you can see the location of our trees and carbon offset projects.

Who is Plant for the Planet – the UN’s first choice

 

Plant for the Planet is our new tree planting partner. Through them we will now we planting all of our trees in the WestWon Woodland. They are a youth-led NGO which tackles climate change by planting trees around the world. Having done thorough research we are confident they are trustworthy. At the end of 2011, the UN handed over the “billion tree campaign”, or as it is now known the “trillion tree campaign”. The launch of the campaign was supported by such respected individuals including the Prince of Monaco and other world leaders.

 

This has led to Plant for the Planet becoming a huge global advocate. We are extremely supportive of the work they are already doing, which is why we now plant our trees through them. We also believe a unity of both Plant for the Planet and Ecologi will only bring more benefits to our green agenda in the long run.

Reminder of the importance of our WestWon Woodland

 

Our tree planting scheme will remain the same. We are still planting a tree for every month of a lease agreement a customer undertakes. We hope that our continual planting scheme will reduce the negative impacts of climate change. If you would like to become a part of the change, then please feel free to contact us.

Contact Us

 

If you would like more information about Plant for the Planet, or any of our other green initiative plans, then please contact us. You can either call us on 01494 611 456, or alternatively you can email us on [email protected].

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01494 611 456

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