We are very excited to share that we are partnering with The Forest of Marston Vale to become Corporate Friends of the Forest! Along with other companies, we will help to plant 5 million trees within the forest to create a greener heart of Bedfordshire.

We have pledged to plant a tree with every new project in 2023, and we already have a date in the diary to plant them all! We are making this commitment to help tackle climate change, to increase biodiversity and to offset carbon emissions. This is one step of many that we are taking to create ‘A Greener Benchmark’. Our new policy aims to embed a greener outlook into the heart of Benchmark Architects.

We have chosen to support The Forest of Marston Vale as they are a local charity who are doing so much for our environment. Most of our employees live in and around the 61 square mile area of the Marston Vale so it is great that we can make a difference locally.

The Forest of Marston Vale is a Community Forest and a Charity, planting trees and using woodlands to make life better for the people and wildlife in the 61 square mile area of the Marston Vale, between Bedford and Milton Keynes. The Charity has planted over 2 million trees to transform the landscape and improve the prospects of the Marston Vale – environmentally, socially and economically. The environmental benefits of trees are numerous and well documented – they help to cool and clean our air, lock up carbon, reduce flooding, provide sustainable raw materials, and are our best hope in combatting the climate crisis. However, the social and economic benefits are also significant. Having access to green space and being in nature is important for our physical and mental well-being, which is why the Charity creates pockets of woodland within or close to villages in the Marston Vale, so the local community benefits. Trees and woodland also make an area a more attractive location for business, residential and recreational use – hence the economic benefit that trees bring.

So, very simply, trees make life better – for people, for wildlife and for the planet. The Forest of Marston Vale’s ultimate goal is 30% tree cover across the Forest area, and that means planting another 5 million trees.