Leaving a lasting impact
Planting trees in the local community
This year we want to leave a legacy to honour the 125th anniversary of Bosch UK and Ireland and our founder Robert Bosch’s commitment to social responsibility. Our associates are taking part in a number of charity and community initiatives that will form 125 Acts of Kindness to honour his legacy whilst also paying it forward into future generations.
Associates from our Bosch UK Automotive Aftermarket division took a day out of the office to plant trees in Greater London with the charity ‘Trees for Cities’ who aim to improve lives both nationally and internationally by planting trees to enhance green spaces in cities and town. They provide vital support to local communities to cultivate lasting change in their neighbourhoods – whether it’s revitalising forgotten spaces, creating healthier environments, or connecting children with nature. To date Trees for Cities have planted 1,551,867 trees, with over 250,000 having been planted this year.
Bosch Automotive Aftermarket and Trees for Cities launched a new partnership in 2021 which was formed to help deliver a positive environmental impact on the UK’s towns and cities. This is why Bosch Automotive Aftermarket has committed to plant a tree for every twenty-five BX Starter Motors and Alternators sold in the UK and Ireland in 2022 and 2023
‘Being involved in a charity such as Trees for Cities is invaluable and being able to positively contribute to the environment by planting trees is extremely rewarding! The day was a great team bonding activity where we could enjoy ourselves as well as learn and do something fulfilling’ – Tirion Evans, Product and Channel Marketing Assistant, Bosch Automotive Aftermarket, Bosch UK.
Fifteen associates spent the day in South Woodford and Wanstead in Greater London, planting trees throughout the day to bring a new lease of life to the areas.
Associates spent the morning being trained on how to plant a tree successfully, learning it was much more complex than they first thought! First, holes must be dug deep into the ground to allow room for the tree to be planted. Once the tree is in, the hole then must be refilled. Next, wooden planks are inserted into the ground that are tied to the tree with rope, and finally a metal netting is put around the tree to support it. The tree must then be nurtured and maintained, and this is a job that Trees for Cities undertakes to ensure the successful uptake of the planted trees. Interestingly, associates learnt that for trees to be successfully grown, they must be planted between November - March, as outside of this time it is unlikely that the tree will take and grow.
In the afternoon, the group moved to a local park in Wanstead, where in smaller groups they planted trees on their own which was a real team effort. Taking what they had learnt from the morning training session, each of the groups successfully planted their trees. Local onlookers walking past were thrilled to see the planting of the new trees in their park and commented and how wonderful it was to see people helping out their community.
It was an interesting and enjoyable day for all the associates and each associate learnt a new skill as well more about the work that Trees For Cities do. The team are keen to get back out there and are already planning their next tree planting day later on in the year, which they will open out to a wider number of associates.
