Lee Squires is our local Fernwood franchisee in Ballarat and she has stepped up (literally and figurally)  to help out with tree planting in her local district by funding the planting of 180 trees.

Fernwood Ballarat is a premium women’s-only health, fitness and wellness club featuring a luxe gym floor, group fitness classes, small group functional training, a supportive team of expert trainers, reformer Pilates, infrared sauna, relaxing massage chairs, childcare facilities and free breakfast.

The trees were planted in the Central Highlands area of Victoria by members of Central Highlands Landcare. Over time, these newly planted trees will:

• create shade along the river,
• provide shelter for aquatic life such as fish and even  platypus,
• give protection from strong winds,
• protect the creek bed from the destruction of floods and
• provide habitat for the local wildlife such as echidnas, wallabies, possums and many species of birds and associated  invertebrate life such as dragonflies, bees and ants.

We chose to plant our trees in the gaps in our tree line, along a creek bed.  Today we had quite a bit of rain so when we went out to plant our trees, the the ground was lovely and soft. We pulled up a lot of old stakes to recycle and weeded around a few of the existing trees too. A huge thank you to Fernwood Ballarat. Rest assured, they have gone to a good home.

Julie & Joe | Members | Central Highlands Landcare

More trees in the ground thanks to the dynamic Lee Squire and her team at Fernwood Ballarat.

If you would like to know more about sponsoring community tree planting projects and how we can assist you in becoming a more sustainable business, please contact Colleen at <[email protected]>.

Writer: Colleen B. Filippa

With a background in Environmental Science, Colleen is the Founding Director of Fifteen Trees. In 2009, after 20 years in primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions, Colleen left the classroom to start the company. Fifteen Trees is a social enterprise assisting individuals and companies to reduce their carbon footprint by supporting community groups such as Landcare, schools and environmental networks.