Business owner invites residents to help him plant more than 100 trees in Northamptonshire for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee

The founder of a Brixworth coffee shop is planting 106 new trees in Northamptonshire this week - and he is inviting residents to help.

Owner of Brixworth-based Orange and Black Coffee Co, Iain Welters, is planting an avenue of 100 oak trees and six beech trees on Sunday, December 19 in Brixworth Country Park.

This is a part of his regular tree-planting programme that has seen over 560 indigenous hardwood trees planted across the county in total since November 2020.

Iain said: "We started this last year and now we have 50 people turning up on Sunday at the end of the month to plant trees. It's just me, my son, my dog and my Land Rover with no big corporate motivation. It costs just one pound to plant a tree so people can come along, they can plant a tree and it is nice for them to be out.

"Its good for the soul and makes people feel inspired and see how easy it is. They do not have to pay any money and can bring a spade if they want or simply just come along and watch."

Residents, who want to take part on Sunday (December 19), are asked to meet at the Brixworth Country Park car park at 12pm.

The new avenue of trees overlooking Pitsford Reservoir will be named 'The Queen's Royal Jubilee Avenue' to support the her majesty's green canopy project.

The nationwide initiative, called the Queen's Green Canopy (QGC) was created to mark her majesty's platinum jubilee in 2022 and it invites people across the whole of the UK to 'plant a tree for the jubilee'.

Iain, who grew up on a farm in Scotland and has worked as an architectural designer, has helped to plant hundreds of native beech, birch, rowan and maple trees at Brixworth Country Park with the help of volunteers, park rangers and donations from the local community.

Iain, talking about why he started his tree-planting initiative, said: "I just got fed up of thinking that all the environmental issues are too big for us to do anything about them and thinking that it's someone else's problem and I just went out and started planting trees free of charge to give something back.

"I know that the problem with the climate emergency is that people take more than they can give back. I was trying to build a sustainable business model that routinely planted trees in the county.

"November last year we started it and, within two or three months, 60 people were doing it and it was a beautiful thing and I think it is important. It is not for glory, it is just trying to change habits and getting others to see how they can help and that it is quick and easy. It is to make those habits routine instead of just when it is fashionable."

Over the last year, Iain's initiative has gained momentum with people donating land for him to plant trees on, a growing number of regular volunteers who come along and help as well as businesses and social media influencers offering to plant a tree with every purchase of their product.

Iain's daughter, who gives psychic readings, plants a tree for every reading she gives.

Iain continued: "When a tree matures, it will store enough carbon to support two human beings for the rest of its natural life. One tree produces enough oxygen for two people. If half of all human beings put one tree in the ground tomorrow, we would solve the problem."

The tree planting initiative even offers to plant trees for loved ones, who have passed away. The trees can be tagged and then a photo will be taken of them, which will then be uploaded to the Orange and Black Coffee Co website.

Find out more by visiting www.orangeandblackcoffee.co.uk.