25 Years of Remembrance Planting with Life for a Life

Oldham-based ‘Life for a Life’, a non-profit organisation, was founded in 1999 by Norman Armstrong-Kersh MBE who sadly passed away in 2020.

His vision was to provide bereaved families with an affordable way to commemorate their loved ones by planting trees and installing memorial benches rather than the costly alternatives available.

Norman had great insight into the challenges faced by charities and wanted a portion of ‘Life for a Life’s proceeds to be gifted to local charities and hospices.

The charity celebrated their 25-year birthday with their supporters and friends, including the Mayor of Oldham Cllr Zahid Chauhan OBE, by planting a pear tree and a wildflower patch at their offices in Chadderdon in Oldham, where ‘Life for a Life’ was ‘born’. To further mark the occasion, donations were presented to two local charities the Dr Kershaw Hospice and ‘Truly Wished’, The Mayor’s Appeal.

Since planting their first memorial tree in 1999 working with United Utilities at Strinesdale County Park in Oldham, the charity has planted more than 13,000 trees and installed memorial benches at 61 sites across the UK. In addition, they have planted more than a mile of hedgerows and have established and manages 11 acres of wildflower meadows and 160 acres of woodland.

Parallel to the physical tree planting work, they have also re-distributed over £1.6 million to various charitable causes. During the 25-year period, close to 140,000 people have been helped along to process their grief.

His son Philip, who today manages the operational side of the charity, says: “My father wanted the money raised through our legacy memorial work to be ploughed back into helping local people as an all-round social good. A quarter of a century later, he would have been immensely proud of our efforts in achieving just that.”

The charity continuously creates partnerships between farmers, landowners and farm managers. Plans are underway to expand their planting sites towards Yorkshire, and hopefully further North into Cumbria.

In an exciting recent development, the charity is close to securing its first site in The Lake District, working with a private landowner to create lasting benefits for both the community and the environment.

Philip says, “When bereaved family members visit, they are made aware of the landowner’s contribution, and from a landowner’s perspective, especially if they are quite active in their local community, it’s a great story to tell.”

Upcoming projects include the Half Moon Bay Memorial Forest in Heysham, in partnership with Lancaster City Council, as well as new sites in collaboration with Oldham Council. The council is an existing partner who has seen firsthand the benefits of Life for a Life’s long-term land management approach and ability to handle all aspects of customer engagement.

Last year, Philip gave an overview of the charity’s work showcasing their work in a woodland-amenity context at a CLA event ‘Where to with woodlands?’ chaired by former CLA President Ross Murray.

Executive Director Emma Scott says, “Being a member of the CLA has been invaluable with its support. We have also made cost savings on our insurance via the CLA Insurance. We are always looking to establish and manage new memorial forests, and we encourage fellow-CLA members to get in touch if they are interested in our work.”

More information: www.lifeforalife.org.uk