"Protection is all about helping people build resilience for the future, and this challenge extends that thinking to the environment."
- Daren Boys - Aviva
Aviva’s protection business will join with partner firms in the Lake District on 30th September and 1st October for the Skiddaw Forest Sustainability Challenge, delivered in partnership with Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
The challenge forms part of Aviva’s wider commitment to restoring Britain's rare temperate rainforests through its £38 million partnership with The Wildlife Trusts. It will see over 150 professionals from Aviva's Protection business and partner firms raise funds for Cumbria Wildlife Trust and make a direct contribution to the restoration of the Skiddaw Forest landscape.
On the first day of the two-day event, teams of five will sow seeds for trees alongside conservation specialists in a purpose-built nursery. The following day will consist of a 15-mile hike during which teams will plant seeds along the route before reaching the summit of Skiddaw, one of England’s highest mountains. Participants will also have the opportunity to climb three additional Wainwright peaks.
Participating firms include iPipeline, MAB, Swiss Re, Pacific Life Re, James Leighton FS, LifeSearch, Connells, theidol.com, Reassured, ABI, Partner Re, NMG, SCOR, RGA and St James Place. Square Health is supporting the initiative through fundraising, and Aviva is also supporting two teams made up of local groups and organisations.
Each team is aiming to raise at least £2,500 to support Cumbria Wildlife Trust's ongoing conservation work. Funds raised will be used to help restore habitats, increase biodiversity and accelerate nature recovery across the Skiddaw Forest landscape. The teams' planting areas will be recorded using a location on what3words, so participants can track its growth and expand the area at future events.
Aviva's partnership with The Wildlife Trusts supports a programme to restore and reconnect fragments of temperate rainforest across the British Isles.
Skiddaw is one of the programme’s largest acquisitions to date, having gained £5 million of funding from Aviva with £1.25m of additional support from charitable funders and members of the public. It will see the restoration work across 3,000 acres of habitat, including the creation of 620 acres of temperate rainforest.
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"The Skiddaw Forest Sustainability Challenge is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when businesses, colleagues and partners come together behind a shared purpose," Daren Boys, protection portfolio distribution director at Aviva, said.
"Protection is all about helping people build resilience for the future, and this challenge extends that thinking to the environment. Together we're helping to restore an important landscape, support local biodiversity and leave a lasting legacy for generations to come."
James Jolly, business relationships at Cumbria Wildlife Trust, added: "The land purchase of Skiddaw is just the start of the 100-year partnership to undertake this restoration at landscape scale.
"It’s been brilliant to work with the team at Aviva to look at other ways to increase funding for the project, and further build on the support for the restoration work. The Skiddaw Forest Challenge has also been about supporting the local community and businesses, bringing more people into the sphere of influence.
"When we all pull together, amazing things can happen. We can always do more, but projects like this really can have an amazing effect and showcase what is possible, spreading the net to bring yet more people and organisations on board to stand up for nature and fight climate breakdown."
