'Tree' cheers to new Penwortham gin initiative

Liam Stemson and Ellis McKeown launched No. 1 Fairham Gin earlier this year, and are keen to be as green as possible, and give back to the communiy their gin is named after.

>>>Read about the gin and how it got its name here.

So far, their eco-friendly business plan has seen them offering waste from fruits used in the manufacturing process to people who make jam, and reducing plastic use.But now they’ve gone one step further, and will be buying a tree sapling for every bottle sold through the retail market.

Each of these tree saplings will be planted by the Ribble Rivers Trust across Lancashire, which is one of the areas of the country with the least woodland cover.

Ellis said: “Liam and I are constantly looking at ways to expand our eco-friendly ethos and the idea behind the ‘one bottle = one tree’ partnership for us was that for everything we take from nature through the use of botanicals and exotic fruits, we wanted to give back, and what better way to do that than by helping communities local to us whilst also fighting against climate change.”

Jack Spees, chief executive the Ribble Rivers Trust said: “Through the pandemic localism has become of far greater importance to everyone, from where you source your food and drink, to how you enjoy your local area. This has led to a groundswell of demand from local people wanting more action to improve our rivers and wider environment.

“We are really grateful to businesses like No.1 Fairham Gin, who are demonstrating not only a commitment to the local environment, but local communities. We look forward to working with them over the coming years.”

The trees that are planted through this partnership will deliver a wide range of benefits, including creating new woodlands for wildlife and people to enjoy, boosting biodiversity, slowing the flow of water, reducing flood risk, and improving water and air quality.

The trees will also help to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere by taking the carbon in as they grow, which will ultimately help to reduce the effects of climate change.

To find out more about the planting scheme or to support the Ribble Rivers Trust, visit: https://ribbletrust.org.uk