EQUIPMENT rental specialist Sunbelt Rentals UK and Ireland has awarded a £40,000 grant to social enterprise Forests With Impact, which will increase capacity and support the creation of a new role for a prison leaver in the UK’s only prison-based commercial tree nursery programme.
The investment supports climate and biodiversity goals by increasing the supply of UK-grown trees, reducing reliance on imports, and supporting rehabilitation through paid work and skills.
Sunbelt Rentals has supported Forests With Impact since 2020, helping it grow from an early concept into a national model, now supported by over 40 cross-sector partners.
The funding has enabled Forests With Impact to appoint a tree nursery development manager apprentice to support the national programme, increase the number of seed trays by 50%, and cover associated salary costs.
In addition, the firm has donated £14,000 from its apprenticeship levy to fund formal horticultural training through Myerscough College.
As part of the programme, the apprentice will help scale sapling production at HMP Haverigg from 250,000 to 500,000 trees per year; oversee the development of new commercial tree nurseries including the launch of HMP Fosse Way in Leicester and a third site in Norfolk; and mentor prison growing teams. The role also supports prisoners and prison leavers to gain paid experience, qualifications and clear routes into future employment.
Sarah MacGregor, Forests With Impact programme lead and head of social sustainability at Sunbelt Rentals, said, “This is rehabilitation in action. By investing in people with lived experience and providing clear pathways into meaningful careers, we are strengthening the programme and increasing its capacity to grow trees and expand into more prisons across the UK. As a founding partner, we have seen that sustained partnership is what enables the programme to scale and deliver lasting value for people, communities and the environment.”
Emma Johnson, director of Forests With Impact, added, “As founding partners, Sunbelt Rentals have been critical from the very beginning. Their early and ongoing support has been a catalyst for growth, laying the foundations for everything we’ve built – from our first commercial tree nursery at HMP Haverigg to our national expansion.”
