Orbit staff have planted 1,280 hedge plants this Spring as part of the organisation’s efforts to boost the biodiversity of its outdoor spaces.
The planting days were part of a series of biodiversity events to continue Orbit’s progress on ensuring that 30% of its outdoor spaces enable nature’s recovery by 2030; its commitment aligned to The Wildlife Trusts’ ‘30by30’ campaign.
Staff volunteered to plant 1,280 hedgerow whips with the support of its contractor partners at four of its estates across the country. All hedgerow whips planted were UK native species and included Hawthorn, Rowan, Dog Rose, Blackthorn and Beech.
The biodiversity pledge forms one pillar of the housing group’s environmental programme, Orbit Earth, which also sets out its ambitions for climate action and sustainable resource use.
Chloe Curtis-Dunn, green spaces improvement officer at Orbit, said: “We are passionate about creating more sustainable and biodiverse environments for our customers and communities.
“Our planting initiatives not only benefit wildlife across our estates, but also our customers through better access to flourishing green spaces which positively impact their wellbeing.
“With our colleagues keen to support our biodiversity ambitions, it has been great to involve them in our planting days this spring and we’re excited to see the estates blossom in the future.”
Orbit’s approach to biodiversity was verified following an independent assessment by The Green Partnership recently, which validated areas including the housing association’s processes, data management and site surveys as it progresses towards its key biodiversity objectives.
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