Maria Miller plants tree after runners raise funds at 5k event

Maria Miller planted a magnolia tree at Absolutely Offices in Chineham, to commemorate the recent Basingstoke Festival 5k. The 5k run is sponsored by Croudace Homes and run in partnership with Trees not Tees.

Trees not Tees works alongside event organisers to plant trees as opposed to giving away T-shirts to participating runners. Globally, millions of event T-shirts are produced and given away each year, only to end up in landfill.

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Trees not Tees works with race and event organisers to give participants the option of planting a tree rather than receiving a T-shirt they won’t wear. Events using Trees not Tees are seeing over 20 per cent of participants choose to plant a tree, helping reduce the number of t-shirts races have to order and planting 1,000s of trees in their place in the process.

Dame Maria said: "I'm really pleased to plant this tree and it’s great to see Destination Basingstoke focusing on supporting businesses to become more environmentally aware for the future and in turn future generations.

"Events like this are part of what makes Basingstoke such a great place and we need to ensure we look after the borough and continue to keep it a clean and pleasant place to live."

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Chair of Destination Basingstoke, Jon Pender, said: “You get given so much stuff when you run a race like a half marathon, what we are trying to do is move away from that and do something better for the environment.

“This tree will be lovely and colourful and all the people here will have the pleasure of seeing it flower and grow.”

Gaye Hacking, from Croudace Homes, which is part of Destination Basingstoke and also sponsors the 5k, said: “We have done a lot of work in the area and it is lovely to do something beneficial for the community and environment.”