THIRTY new sapling trees have been planted by a local charity to mark its 30th anniversary supporting the lives of people with learning disability, acquired brain injury and autism.
The native trees were planted at Mount Stewart as part of Positive Future’s special anniversary event attended by Health Minister Mike Nesbitt.
Donated by the National Trust, the trees were planted to symbolise the three decades the all-Ireland charity has been making lives better for the people they support.
Staff from the National Trust, who will partner with Positive Futures on a number of initiatives over the next two years, were on hand to provide expert guidance on the principles of planting.
The planting event supports the National Trust’s ‘Roots to Recovery’ project, which aims to enhance biodiversity and improve natural habitats across its properties.
Mr Nesbitt said Positive Futures has had a tremendous impact on so many lives over the last 30 years and the tree planting event highlights the importance of the work of the charity in delivering services to ensure people live as independently as possible.
Bangor woman, Dr Agnes Lunny, who co-founded the charity, added: “Events like these are so good for the soul.”
“Our staff from our head office and local services get some well-earned time out of the office and the people we support, together with their support staff, have hopefully had a great day out.
“We had promises from several attendees to come back to do some more planting with the National Trust team. We can’t wait to see what else this partnership will bring.”
Stevie McMullan, project manager at the National Trust, said the event was met with great enthusiasm from everyone involved.
“We were delighted to support Positive Futures as they marked this significant 30th anniversary milestone,” he said. “Initiatives such as this demonstrate the power of nature to bring people together, enhance wellbeing and create a lasting legacy for the environment.”
The event represents one of the first steps in what the charity hopes will be a ‘strong and enduring collaboration’.
“Through our DAERA-funded Roots to Recovery project, we are working to restore habitats, increase biodiversity and help more people connect with nature. Positive Futures will play an important role in this work, from collecting tree seeds and supporting propagation in our new nursery to helping plant trees across National Trust properties,” he said.
