UNISON was created to defend and improve its members’ terms and conditions, but it’s also committed to protecting the environment and tackling the threat posed by the climate crisis. Claire Donnelly reports for UNISON Active magazine.
It’s a beautiful, strangely misty morning in this rather genteel corner of Harrogate. And as more and more people begin to emerge from the mist – wrapped up in big coats, wellies, gloves and bobble hats – it’s clear something special is happening here.
Wielding a muddy spade, UNISON’s branch environment officer, Sam Perry, finds a pre-marked spot and starts to break up the heavy clay soil, smiling as he tells colleagues: ‘Right then, let’s get stuck in.”
He’s heading up a group of activists and volunteers here to create Pocket Wood – something that will bring much-needed foliage to this part of town and signal the union’s serious commitment to green issues and climate change.
They’ve raised more than £1,000 to fund the project in their bid to create ‘green space and green thinking’. UNISON has joined forces with Harrogate borough council to add the trees to a neglected area of The Stray, a strip of parkland that’s well-used by residents alongside Regent’s Parade.
It’s a modest start – eight saplings are being planted today; two lime, three hop hornbeams and three elder – timed to mark National Tree Week but more planting is planned for 2023.
In time, the trees will grow into a new copse for future generations to enjoy.
As Sam explains: “The climate crisis represents an existential threat to our members’ and everyone’s way of life – we must raise awareness and act now before it’s too late.
“As a public services union we’re very conscious that climate change already is, and is going to continue to, affect us.
“We’ve been working closely with Harrogate borough council to ‘green’ council operations and ensure that environmental matters are top of the agenda.
“Our slogan is ‘this union is a green union’ and we want to take action to show people what we mean by that, what we can all do and how we are working with other bodies, like the council, to put climate concerns at the heart of everything we do.
“Our new Community Pocket Wood is a gift to our wider community in Harrogate and an invitation to all who see it, to grow more green spaces in the world and more green thinking in their minds.” A plaque will be added later – telling people more about the project. And the effects of climate change are being felt during this process.
“We’re adding wood chip around the base to keep the moisture in, in case it’s a summer like last year,” Sam explains.
Colleague, Patrick Carroll, 39, is one of the willing volunteers giving up a wet Wednesday morning to help.
An IT worker by day, he lives close by and had been looking for ways to do something to tackle what he sees as a climate emergency. “Carbon capture and other measures are important. It’s a drop in the ocean in some ways but it’s about doing something, showing what we can do,” he says.
Pausing to lug a spindly sapling over from the council truck, he adds: “It’s very easy to be cynical when corporates do things like this, but because it’s the union you know it comes from a good place.
“On a wider level it’s good to be part of something, to be working together with people in your community. “Unions aren’t just about pay and conditions – for me it’s about solidarity, coming together on issues that affect us all.
“We’ve all seen the effects of climate change, extreme weather, this is something we can all agree on.”
Wendy Walton, UNISON area organiser, is excited to be here too – and about showcasing the wider work of the union’s community projects.
“It’s important to show that green issues are a priority for us, for everyone,” she says.
“And we’re really proud that the Harrogate branch has been able to do this. “It’s a powerful statement and will be part of a wonderful legacy.”
Beside them, Alison Clark has come dressed for the job – pulling on heavy duty gloves to lower the first of the saplings into the freshly turned soil.
The 60-year-old lives in Ripon and joined the union three years ago.
She takes a break from working to explain why this means so much to her.
“I just think it’s really important to do something, to get involved in whatever way I can,” she says.
“I’m just a volunteer gardener, my job is very desk-bound so it’s good to get moving.
“But it’s good to feel we can do something longterm.
“These trees will grow and be a very visible reminder of our environment – how much we all need these beautiful spaces and how important it is, for us all to do what we can to protect it.”
Leaning on her spade, she stops to admire the team’s handiwork before adding: “There is something very hopeful about planting trees isn’t there?”
This article was featured in the Spring 2023 edition of UNISON Active! magazine. The full edition is available here on our website as well as the archive of previous issues. Click here to view or download.
Photography by Vicky Matthers.
