Raising the Standard for the Return of the Caledonian Forest

Press Releases
13 April 2005 - for immediate release

Alan Watson Featherstone receiving the cheque from Julie McDowell of Standard Life at a special presentation ceremony in Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden.
(Photograph by Mark Jackson)

Conservation charity Trees for Life today received a donation of £1,035 from Standard Life Investments of Edinburgh to help pay for trees being planted this spring to restore the Caledonian Forest in the Glen Moriston area, west of Inverness. Trees for Life's volunteers are planting a tree for each ethical fund investor who has registered to receive Standard Life's Ethical Funds Newsletter on-line, rather than in paper format through the post.

Speaking at the cheque handover, which took place at Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden, Trees for Life Executive Director Alan Featherstone commented: "Our award-winning work to restore the Caledonian Forest in the Highlands is entering an exciting new phase this year, and we're very grateful to Standard Life for their support. Their proactive approach and commitment to benefiting the environment sets a positive example for the corporate world, and shows that businesses and charities can be partners in the vital work of regenerating Scotland's depleted woodlands."

Julie McDowell, Secretary of the Standard Life Investments' Ethical Committee, said: "Our initiative with Trees for Life allows Standard Life to make a positive contribution to Scotland's natural habitat on our investors behalf, and reduces the environmental impact of reporting to clients."

Alan Featherstone continued: "Planting a tree which will grow in the Caledonian Forest for one or two hundred years is perhaps the ultimate ethical investment, as it will benefit generations to come. We hope that Standard Life's investors will continue to sign up for this scheme, and thereby make an important contribution to the future ecological health of the Highlands."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Trees for Life has been working since 1989 to restore the Caledonian Forest to a large contiguous area in the Highlands of Scotland. The charity's accomplishments to date include the planting of almost half a million trees, the protection of some important Caledonian Forest remnants so that they can regenerate without overgrazing by deer, and the involvement of thousands of volunteers in their work.
Trees for Life has won a number of awards for its conservation work to help restore the Caledonian Forest. In 1991 it was declared the UK Conservation Project of the Year, and in 2000 it received the Millennium Marque award for 'demonstrating environmental excellence for the 21st century'. In addition, Trees for Life Founder and Executive Director Alan Watson Featherstone received the prestigious Schumacher Award in 2001 for 'his inspirational and practical work on conserving and restoring degraded ecosystems'.
2005 has been a successful year so far for Standard Life's ethical fund range, which recently broke through the £200m mark. Strong performance across the ethical fund range has reinforced the fact that investors choosing to invest with Standard Life Investments do not have to sacrifice returns as a result of adopting an ethical stance.
Trees for Life will be planting a total of 50,000 native trees at several locations in the Highlands west of Inverness this spring, as well as carrying out other essential forest restoration work, including the removal of fences, wetland restoration, and habitat surveying and monitoring.

Further information is available from:

David Hammond, Development & Marketing Manager, Trees for Life
Tel: 01309 691292 - Fax: 01309 691155 - Email: trees@findhorn.org - Website: www.treesforlife.org.uk

Hilda Wright, Press Officer, Standard Life Investments
Tel: 0131 245 3610
Brian Simmons, Press Manager, Standard Life Investments
Tel: 0131 245 5935

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