Employees from Macrae Edinburgh in Livingston, and Partners from Edinburgh’s Morningside Waitrose branch were out in force on Monday 19th November at the Scottish Wildlife Trust's Addiewell Bing reserve near West Calder in West Lothian as part of a tree planting day.
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The ten employees from Macrae Edinburgh, one of Young's Seafood Limited's seafood production sites, and five Partners from Waitrose accompanied by the Scottish Wildlife Trust planted around 100 willow trees and alder trees. These trees are part of twenty year project to replace the reserve's non-native lodgepoll pine with indigenous trees. The project has already resulted in thriving mixed woodland on the reserve including oak trees and maple trees. The trees planted by the Macrae Edinburgh employees and Waitrose Partners will continue this work by adding to the number of willow and alder in the woodland. |
Both Macrae Edinburgh and Waitrose are committed to sustainable practices in their business. Waitrose Partners take part in activities such as the day at Addiewell Bing as part of the retailer's corporate and social responsibility policy, the Waitrose Way. As a part of Young's Seafood Limited, Macrae Edinburgh ensures it responsibly serves customers and consumers through its Fish for Life programme. Macrae Edinburgh have been corporate members of the Scottish Wildlife Trust for the last five years, sponsor the Tailend Moss wildlife reserve adjacent to the company's Livingston site and have taken part in previous volunteering days.
Peter Hawkins, Waitrose Business Unit Managing Director, Macrae Edinburgh Limited said: “We are thrilled to have taken part in the tree planting at Addiewell Bing with Partners from the Waitrose Morningside branch. Macrae Edinburgh, as part of Young's Seafood Limited, is committed to ensuring sustainability in its business through its Fish for Life programme. Planting these willow and alder trees will further ensure the transformation of Addiewell Bing from an oil shale bing to an wildlife haven for future generations.”
David Lincoln, Morningside Branch Manager, Waitrose added: “We are delighted to be working with our supplier, Young's Seafood, to do something positive in the local community to help the environment. It was an activity that all of our Partners could get involved with and great fun too!”
Julian Warman, Scottish Wildlife Trust Reserve Manager South East Scotland said: “The volunteers from Waitrose and Macrae Edinburgh were a great help. We’re gradually replanting Addiewell Bing with native trees. As a charity, we rely on volunteer groups like this one to help us protect wildlife for future generations.”