A TYNEDALE business joined up with a national agriculture organisation to support farmers’ contributions to our environment and countryside.

Treesplease, a national supplier of bare-root trees and shrubs based in Corbridge, sponsored the first tree quiz held at this year’s Westmorland Show in September, which was organised by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA).

The quiz was part of the CLAs tree-themed event at the show ‘Woodland Matters’, which focused on issues such as woodland planting and grants, tree disease and tree safety and inspections.

For beating the 40 other entries and winning the quiz, CLA member and livestock farmer Stephen Brough from Dalston, Cumbria was awarded £50 worth of tree vouchers which was handed over to the couple by Treesplease Commercial Operations Director Andy Howard.

In addition to the vouchers, Andy also gave Stephen and his wife Annette a guided tour of the business’ grading and storage facilities based at Dilston, and across some of the 200-acre nursery where the 12 to 15 million saplings are planted on the outskirts of Corbridge.

“We joined forces with the CLA for the quiz because now more than ever there is a rising interest amongst farmers and landowners over the principals of natural capital and eco-system services such as tree and hedge planting,” said Andy.

“As a farmer who plants a lot of hedges himself, Stephen was very interested to come and see for himself how we grow from seeds the saplings which they later buy for their land and it was a pleasure to show him and Annette around.”