In order to help protect the outdoor environments we cherish so much, we have been supporting tree planting projects worldwide. So far we have planted over 260,000 trees – check our progress on the Sustainability at SportPursuit page.

We want to support and learn from the people who are on the front line tackling climate change, like our tree planting partners Size of Wales: a UK-based climate change charity that focuses on tropical deforestation and restoration.

Latest News: Trees for Christmas 2021

Trees for Christmas is Size of Wales’ annual fundraising drive to support tree growing overseas. This year, they are once again raising money for the Boré Community Forest Project which supports subsistence farmers and the wider community to adapt to the increasingly unpredictable climate and protect their precious forests. Get involved on the Size of Wales website or look out for special tree planting emails in your SportPursuit inbox!

Bore Community Forest, Kenya

Bore is an area of Coast Province, in eastern Kenya that sits right on the equator. Unpredictable climatic conditions have been threatening the livelihoods of local farming communities. Without reliable farming conditions these communities need alternative income, such as from charcoal production. The Bore Community Forest Project supports subsistence farmers and the wider community to adapt to the increasingly chaotic climate while protecting their precious forests.

The overall aim of the project is to increase and protect tree cover in the area. It will do this by:

• Planting thousands of seedlings each year from community nurseries
• Supporting the development of alternative sustainable livelihoods diverting away from the need to burn charcoal
• Strengthening the community’s resilience by improving its economic position, reducing soil erosion, stabilising conditions and food security by the provision of shade from trees and ‘treefood’ (mainly cashew nuts, moringa leaves and mango fruits).

Learn more about Bore Community Forest here >

Mbale Trees Programme, Uganda

Project Update, March 2020

SportPursuit has supported Size of Wales to open with our partners a new tree growing nursery in the Bunambutye region of Uganda.

This new nursery will join the existing nurseries in the area that provide seedlings to local farmers, schools, businesses and individuals to plant.

Nurseries enable local employment and engagement on sustainable farming practices with local communities and SportPursuit’s support is enabling this work to expand.

Size of Wales

Project Background

Size of Wales has been working with Welsh Government, partners in Uganda and experts in Wales for over 8 years to deliver a tree planting programme in the Mount Elgon region of Uganda. Through a network of 35 tree seedling nurseries, the programme distributes free tree seedlings to the local community to be planted on smallholdings and other land in the community.

Uganda’s forests are under severe threat. The country’s forest cover has declined from 24% in the 1990s to less than 9% as of 2018. Around 80% of Ugandans live in rural communities with c42% surviving on less than USD 2.00 a day. This project is working in Mbale in Eastern Uganda, a large hilly area that has been heavily deforested primarily from the expansion of agriculture. In recent years the area has been badly affected by landslides.

As well as helping to tackle climate change, the programme also aims to alleviate poverty and improve living conditions for communities in the region. Learn more about the many benefits of planting trees from the Mbale Tree Programme’s Project Coordinator, Francis Alinyo.

Learn more about the Mbale Tree Programme and Size of Wales here.

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