Protecting the environment we abstract water from is very important to us.

Between 2020 and 2025 we’re donating a total of £75,000 towards Trees for the Downs, a project run by The South Downs National Park Trust.

The campaign launched in November 2020 and has gone from strength to strength, surpassing its original goal of planting 8,000 trees within the first five months. Now the initiative aims to plant a staggering 100,000 trees during the next five years!

Richard Dyer, Biodiversity Manager, said: “Tree planting has numerous benefits not only on biodiversity and the natural landscape, but it also enhances water quality and creates more resilience against drought and flooding.

“Keeping water clean at its source means we have to do less in the water treatment process to make it safe to drink, ultimately reducing our carbon footprint and keeping customers’ bills low.”

The South Downs National Park Trust is planting iconic trees such as black poplar, oak and field maple – trees that have been lost over the past few decades, some to Ash Dieback and Dutch Elm Disease.

Significant tree planting will now take place during the coming winters at sites across the region, bringing new habitats for wildlife, helping to restore soils and giving amenity value to local communities.

“We’ve been very encouraged by the support for Trees for the Downs and the campaign has just snowballed. This additional funding from South East Water was a great boost and means we can continue to plant new life-giving trees potentially for the next five years.” Nick Heasman, Countryside and Policy Manager, South Downs National Park Trust

Richard continued: “It is important we support initiatives like this as we know that trees are intrinsically linked to the water cycle and our water supply system.”

Find out more about the Trees for the Down’s campaign here.