Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Preston school grows its forest with help from SPAR wholesaler James Hall

Preston school grows its forest with help from SPAR wholesaler James Hall
Children in Year 5 planting the trees with Michael Stanton, Year 5 teacher and Forest School Leader at Sherwood Primary School.

Pupils and staff at a Preston primary school have shown their environmental passion in spades by planting Christmas trees donated by SPAR wholesaler James Hall & Co.

The donation of the surplus SPAR festive firs to Sherwood Primary School in Fulwood follows the season of goodwill, and James Hall & Co. said they wanted to ensure the trees were put to good use.


Green-fingered children at the Sherwood jumped at the opportunity to add some fresh foliage to the school grounds after a number of trees were recently lost to Ash dieback.

Sherwood, which gained its Forest School status three years ago, places a real emphasis on outdoor learning, and work is underway across the school grounds to improve the environment and education of pupils.

Year 5 pupil Zakariyya Adam,10, said: “Planting trees helps the environment, and helps everything in that environment from animals to bugs. We have a lot of trees at home as well, and we grow fruit including strawberries. I like the satisfaction of seeing it grow.”

Freya Houghton, also 10 and in Year 5, said: “I wanted to be involved in planting the trees as I love the outdoors and I help plant flowers in the garden at my grandad’s. It’s fun and I find it a good way to relax. It is also a nice feeling when you have finished and you see all the colour.”

Year 5 teacher and Forest School Leader, Michael Stanton, said: “We’re grateful to SPAR and James Hall & Co. Ltd for the donation of Christmas Trees and they will go a long way to enhancing the school surroundings after the recent loss of some of our Ash trees.

“As a country we don’t look after nature as much as we ought to, and our children are spending less and less time in the outdoors. Here at Sherwood, we have dedicated days of education in the outdoors for skills development to improve this.This is boosted further as the outdoors runs as theme across all curriculum areas, and we also have our extracurricular school Eco Club.”

Tom Murphy, Marketing Manager at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “It’s fantastic to see the children at Sherwood are so aware of the environment around them and that they were so keen to help with the digging and planting of the Christmas Trees.

“Nurturing our neighbourhoods and passionate about local are two of SPAR’s brand pillars, so I am delighted that we have been able to support Sherwood Primary School’s green agenda.”

More for you

2025 Action on Salt report showing high salt in crisps and popcorn
iStock image

'Majority of snacks fail health criteria'

Majority of 1,200 crisps, nuts and popcorn snacks sold in stores contain such high levels of “hidden salt” that they fail to meet government’s criteria for healthier food, a new report has warned, raising alarm ahead of October 2025 advertising restrictions.

From October, there will be a pre-9pm television watershed on junk food adverts, as well as a blanket ban for online and social media ads.

Keep ReadingShow less
Catherine Goger, PML’s Illicit Trade Prevention Manager, at 2025 UK retail site
Catherine Goger
Catherine Goger

Philip Morris Limited appoints international crime expert as Illicit Trade Prevention Manager

Philip Morris Limited (PML), the affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI) in the UK and Ireland, is stepping-up its fight against the illicit trade with the appointment of Catherine Goger to the role of Illicit Trade Prevention Manager.

In this new role, Catherine is responsible for co-ordinating operations to tackle the sale of illicit products in the UK, continuing the company’s working relationships with local authorities and supporting PML’s Field Force and retail partners.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bakkavor rejects £1.14 billion takeover bid from Greencore amid food-to-go market competition

Bakkavor has declined a £1.14 billion takeover bid.

iStock image

Food-to-go rivalry: Bakkavor rejects Greencore's takeover bid

The UK’s largest fresh-prepared food manufacturer Bakkavor has turned down a £1.14 billion takeover bid from Irish rival Greencore.

Greencore, Britain’s biggest maker of convenience food-to-go, from sandwiches to quiche, has been stalking its rival sandwich-maker Bakkavor Group to create a dominant food-to-go supplier with around £4 billion in annual revenue.

Keep ReadingShow less
Thief-proof dispenser for high-value goods at Harrison Retail’s 2025 demo

Harrison Retail

Harrison Retail

Retailers urged to invest in theft prevention solution

As UK retail crime continues to accelerate, retailers must have the correct loss prevention solutions that deter theft, says an industry expert, citing a recent report highlighting rapid crime levels and its impact on the economy.

A recent report from the think tank Police Exchange revealed that rapid crime levels are costing the UK economy £250bn a year.

Keep ReadingShow less