This year Moto Foundation turns 20 and is reflecting on the wonderful partnerships that have flourished over the course of two decades.
A partner for the last eight years, the Woodland Trust has received £785,000 from Moto Foundation, supported by carrier bag income donated to the Foundation via Moto Hospitality.
Here, the Woodland Trust highlights some of the impactful projects supported throughout our partnership, helping them to create, protect and restore the UK’s woods and trees.
Community tree packs
Thanks to the continued support of the Moto Foundation and our tree pack partners, we’re able to give away hundreds of thousands of trees to schools and community groups through our Free Trees Scheme. We’re always looking for opportunities to plant more trees and to inspire people to value and care for the trees on their doorstep. Our Free Tree Packs are a fantastic way to make this happen.
Schools and community groups across the UK can apply for a pack to support projects in their area. Being able to offer tree packs free of charge means that financial barriers are removed, and everybody has the opportunity to plant a tree, shaping the places that matter the most to them. The latest tree pack planting seasons in Autumn 2024 and Spring 2025 involved 3,420 schools and 2,333 community groups. 20,805 trees were planted by youth groups (outside of schools and colleges) and 7,770 by university students.
Identifying areas of low tree canopy cover using the Tree Equity Score UK, our Free Trees Scheme continues to help communities plant trees where they are needed most. This year, Moto Foundation’s £100,000 donation will fund the planting of more than 30,000 trees via the Trust’s Free Trees Scheme!
Centenary Woods
Our partnership began with Moto Foundation supporting three of our First World War Centenary Groves at Langley Vale Wood, near Epsom, Dreghorn Woods near Edinburgh, and Coed Ffos Las near Llanelli, by planting 750 trees at each site. Each wood was carefully designed to incorporate commemorative features while bolstering local conservation needs.
They are places for people to visit and reflect, for children to run and play, and are a celebration of life and freedom, in thanks of those who sacrificed theirs.
The Young People’s Forest
In 2022 and 2024, Moto Foundation contributed a combined £85,000 to the Young People’s Forest at Mead in Derbyshire.
The inspiring 400-acre woodland is situated on a former open-cast coal mine near Heanor in Derbyshire. Young people and children are shaping the future of this inspiring place, creating a haven for themselves and their community. Together, they are turning this site into a thriving, wildlife-rich woodland alongside ponds and meadows. Young people use the site as a space for learning creativity, sport and music – and to simply have fun. Bordering Shipley Country Park, and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s Woodside farm, these three areas provide more than 500 hectares of accessible landscape for local people to enjoy. Since the project began, more than 6,700 young people have been involved, and more than 12,230 hours of social action have been completed during the first 5 years.
Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Wood
Planted in celebration of Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, Moto Foundation funded two groves at this site, continuing our work together to care for nature, work with communities, and to give people a magical space to visit. There is plenty to discover here, with 300,000 native broad-leaf trees planted between 2012-2015. A bird watcher’s paradise, the wood has an abundance of wildlife, including skylarks, buzzards and the rare hen harrier. Visitors can spot birds from the hide or while exploring the site.
The east of the woodland is home to mute swans, little grebes, tufted ducks, terns and mallards. At night, you can see the tawny and barn owls as they search the ground for prey.
Visitors in spring and summer can enjoy the flutter of butterflies, including the stunning Marbled White. Watchful eyes might also spot a wandering deer, and even brown hares in more open areas. Children love to explore this wood, thanks to the many art features, fun trails and even a pond-dipping platform.
Happy 20th birthday Moto Foundation! We’re proud to celebrate this milestone with a valued partner – standing up for woods and trees and nurturing nature right alongside us. Here’s to many more years of working together to create, protect and restore the UK’s woodlands.
