Phoenix Futures celebrates a dozen years of growing Glenlude

Our partners and special guests help boost native woodland habitat in the Scottish Borders.

Sixty guests recently joined our Glenlude Manager Karen Purvis to help plant 250 native trees at our site in the Scottish Borders.

The event was organised by our partners at Phoenix Futures, a UK-wide charity that helps people overcome drug and alcohol problems. Its Recovery Through Nature programme – supported by the John Muir Award – has had particularly strong results.

“It’s therapy by stealth,” says Phoenix’s Environmental & Sustainability Manager Jon Hall. “People have the chance to enjoy themselves in the great outdoors while learning practical conservation skills and building their self-esteem.”

For the past 12 years or so, Phoenix has been planting trees at Glenlude to celebrate everyone who has successfully passed through the organisation’s community and residential programmes. 

Special guests Colin Smyth MSP for South Scotland [pictured above helping to carry tools] and Paul Sweeny MSP for Glasgow (Region) [pictured below planting a tree] joined Phoenix’s service users, staff and trustees from Derbyshire, Fife, Glasgow and North Lanarkshire for the celebration – adding 250 new trees to the ‘Phoenix Forest’ to mark everyone who had successfully completed the programme in the past year.

On the day, Paul Sweeny MSP said: "Many people here have sufffered from poor mental health over the years and it has been absolutely brilliant to share this experience with them - finding peacefulness, solace and a sense of purpose in doing this activity together, which will last for decades in restoring Scotland's natural habitat and landscape."

• Watch Paul Sweeny MSP's video of the tree planting day.
• Find out more about our work at Glenlude.