Planting day at St Francis Xavier School, Richmond

June 2015

Cargill celebrate 150 years with tree planting at North Yorkshire school

St Francis Xavier School in Richmond was visited by representatives of nutrition company Cargill to help the pupils and staff plant trees in the school grounds. The company is 150 years old this year and as part of their celebrations they have chosen to plant 150 trees at the North Yorkshire school. The trees are all native British species such as Beech, Field Maple and Rowan, all grown locally from collected seed.

It’s been brilliant today for Cargill people to help put a little back into our community . We are a rural based business and privileged to work in a lovely part of England. We know that keeping landscape in good shape is an important part of our responsibility both as a business and individually. Adding to woodland is both environmentally sensible and helps to preserve the characteristics of the wonderful Yorkshire countryside that we are proud to live in. It is a pleasure to help in this small way and Cargill would like to thank St Francis Xavier School for inviting us to help. I really hope the trees grow a strongly as the students!
- Martin Douglas OBE, Managing Director and Country Representative, Cargill UK & Ireland.

The aim at St Francis Xavier is to provide a welcoming and stable learning environment where pupils can feel safe, secure and valued. The students taking part in the planting day had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience of how trees are planted and to learn the importance of trees to the world in which we live. The new saplings will grow to provide a perfect habitat for wildlife, promoting biodiversity and preserving the natural environment.

Cargill have teamed up with Tree Appeal, planting native broadleaf trees in schools, demonstrating a commitment to environmental education and their aim of reducing their impact on the natural world.