On Friday 14 October (England) and Friday 30 September (Scotland), hundreds of schools will again take part in ‘JUST ONE Tree Day’ – an international non-uniform day where children are encouraged to bring in £1 to plant a tree and help reforest the planet.

Organised by JUST ONE Tree – a British non-profit dedicated to removing CO2 from the atmosphere through global reforestation – the fundraising day has been established to show children and young people how individual actions can make a difference against the climate and biodiversity crises. For every £1 raised, a tree is planted.

The event is open to both primary and secondary schools, who can sign up here. Those taking part can access free lesson resources that fit in with the national curriculum - as part of their fundraising activities, children learn about photosynthesis, the benefits of trees for both people and wildlife and the vital role they play in reducing the impacts of climate change.

To date, over 500 schools and 200,000 pupils have taken part, raising money to fund tree planting in Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal and Zambia, via the organisation’s global network of planting partners.

JUST ONE Tree founder, Amanda Bronkhorst: “JUST ONE Tree Day was born out of my commitment to make a difference – not only for my young daughter, but for the future of all children.

“Climate anxiety is a very real issue with many of today’s youth hit by the reality of the climate crisis, but the message I want to convey is we can all make a difference, and one way of doing that is by involving our young people.”

About JUST ONE Tree Day

The day inspires, educates and empowers the next generations. It’s a fun and educational global event which unites children, parents and teachers around the world on a day to reforest the planet. It is the flagship event of JUST ONE Tree, a multi-award winning British not-for-profit dedicated to restoring life on land, in the oceans and shaping the next generation of planet-conscious thinkers. They plant their trees in countries close to the equator where they can have the greatest positive effect on limiting global warming and creating a greener world for us all.

I started at Dame Elizabeth Cadbury in 2010, in a brand new post as assistant headteacher, and immediately loved it. It’s a happy, vibrant school of, at the time, just over 600 pupils (we’ve since grown!), so has a real family feel. You get to know all the pupils by name, and they all get to know you. It was September and the sun was shining: the new academic year rolled ahead with all its possibility and hope. Crisp new books were opened, dates were written on boards, titles underlined. The children were happy, funny, eager to learn. Everything seemed great. There were the usual issues that crop up when you’re ‘getting your feet under the table’ in a new school, especially as a new senior leader, but all was grand.