Peel Bank Woodland and Conservation Trust (formerly called The Peel Bank Urban Woodland Trust) was established in 1989 by Gordon Swindells, the then Managing Director of an engineering company located at the Peel Bank Works in Church, Accrington, Lancashire. At the time it was a visionary project to research and develop a means of using photosynthesis by trees to reduce the impact on the atmosphere of carbon dioxide and other carbon gases, released by the factory. It is now an independent, registered charity, which manages over 24 acres of newly planted woodland, ancient woodland and a small amount of grazing land over two sites in the Ribble Valley and Hyndburn areas. The sites are now kept as havens for wildlife and as an environmental resource for local people.

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Trees and Woods help us stay healthy, filter our air, purify our water and enrich our soil. They also provide some of the best habitats on land for wildlife. Today, the opportunities for trees and woods to help us make the world a better place are enormous.  Trees and woodland are at the cornerstone of our landscapes and a cherished part of our cultural identity. 

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Peel Bank Woodland and Conservation Trust has donated the majority of their land to The Woodland Trust, along with substantial financial assets. The Woodland Trust will begin planting the land with a community wood, called Swindells Wood in November 2024. We hope that this legacy will be safeguarded, in perpetuity for the benefit of the local community of Langho and Billington and the wider area of the Ribble Valley.

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