‘Tree-mendous’ improvement to hospital

Ten new trees have been planted at Tameside Hospital in a bid to create greener places and boost health and well-being.

The trees will improve surroundings and help capture and store carbon emissions, supporting Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust’s aim to reach ‘net zero’ by 2040, as laid out in the organisation’s green plan. 

The trees were planted by City of Trees, the Community Forest of Greater Manchester.

The planting was funded through Defra’s Northern Forest programme and supported with additional investment from Stericycle, as part of their social value commitment, who are responsible for collecting and processing all clinical waste produced in the Trust. 

The trees are a mixture of native and ornamental trees, making sure the right tree is planted in the right place to thrive. This will in turn enhance green skills and tackle the climate and biodiversity emergency.

It’s estimated that when the trees reach maturity, they will capture around 400,000 kg of CO2 gas over their lifetime, equivalent to the emissions caused by an average car driving more than 18,750 miles. 

Jonathan O’Brien, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive at Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, joined in the planting at locations across the hospital.  

Jonathan said: “It was a pleasure to support the planting of these new trees, which will help to make the hospital brighter and greener in the future. 

“I would like to thank both City of Trees and Stericycle for their role in helping it happen. 

“These new trees are also a small part of our much bigger plan to reduce our carbon emissions and achieve net zero, which is important both for the health of local people and the pressing need to reduce the impact of climate change.” 

Grace Lee, standards officer at City of Trees, said: “We have the funding for trees and woods and so finding suitable locations for them to be planted is a priority of ours.  

“We’re pleased to be working with Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS to identify the best place for the new trees to be planted so their benefits can be enjoyed by hospital visitors and patients for generations to come. 

“We would encourage any other landowners in Tameside and Glossop to get in touch about planting trees on their land to help create a greener, more climate-resilient region.” 

Nigel Dussoye, Stericycle`s account manager, added: "For decades, Stericycle has kept our communities safe, protecting community wellbeing and our planet.   

“With this project, we`re taking our environmental commitments into the heart of Tameside Hospital and making investments in today so we can protect our tomorrow.   

“We`re really excited to see the first stages of our local partnership spring into life."