Published on: 17 February 2025
As part of their ongoing commitment to creating a better, greener hospital site, staff and volunteers from George Eliot
The trees, made up of 10 rowan and 10 hazel saplings, are part of the NHS forest initiative and have the aim to help provide privacy and seclusion for staff and patients, help cool buildings, provide cleaner air, create habitats for native wildlife and store carbon.
The planting of the trees has been led by Sean Grant, the Trust’s Sustainability and Waste Manager alongside the library team, volunteers and interns.
Jenni Northcote, Chief Strategy, Improvement and Partnerships Officer is the executive lead for the project, she said: “It’s fabulous to have the opportunity to plant these trees which will grow with our site to create a better space for
“The trees form part of our larger green plan to reach a net zero carbon footprint by 2040. This ambitious plan will see many more projects take root in the coming years and we are exciting to watch them grow.
“We would like to thank everybody who has been part of this wonderful project and will get a chance to make a difference to our site for decades to come.”
Six trees have been planted in the space between the main hospital and administrative building Lewes House, three more will line the maternity car park, with the other 11 planted to grow to form a natural barrier between a staff parking area and main road near the newly constructed new wards.
In the trees lifetime it is estimate that they will offset 10,000 - 18,000 kg of CO2, which is the equivalent of driving approximately 24,752 to 44,554 miles in an average car.