Our Support Centre is located in the heart of The National Forest in Moira; and supports our nine locations across the UK. The National Forest stretches across 200 square miles of Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire, linking towns, villages and open land, blending new planting and other forest habitats with ancient woodland.  We will be supporting their aspirations to create a larger, forested area in the heart of England, to show all the many benefits that come from woodland near where people live and work.

More about The National Forest

Bringing people closer to nature

Working together

We are inviting our guests to make a donation to plant trees in The National Forest when booking their holiday. Bruce McKendrick, Forest Holidays Chief Executive said: “There is real synergy in our partnership as one of our values is to protect the forest for today and tomorrow. By supporting The National Forest we are helping to transform the landscape on our doorstep. Our team here at Moira will also be actively involved in planting the trees. We are very excited about the partnership and look forward not only to raising donations for the charity but also to make a real difference within our local community.”

Key achievements to date

More about The National Forest

  • 7059 hectares of new forest created and over 8.5 million trees planted 
  • Forest cover has increased from 6 to 20% across the 200 square miles
  • There are 7.8 million visitors annually, generating £373 million into the local economy
  • 516,473 children have enjoyed environmental education sessions
  • 292,000 people have taken part in forest related events
  • Over 2200 hectares of habitats important for wildlife have been created or brought back into management.
  • 60 miles of new hedgerows have been planted and over 150 new wildlife ponds have been created.
  • Over 45 new sport and recreation facilities and 102km of new cycle ways have been created

Donations for tree planting

How you can help

You will be invited to make a minimum donation of £3.00 to The National Forest when booking your Forest Holiday. The National Forest will use the donations to plant trees and create more forest habitats. We are aiming to help them achieve their target of planting a further 90,000 trees by 2017 to create 185 acres of new trees.  

Woodland management day

Forest Holidays team help to build bug hotels in The National Forest

In September 2016, our team took part in our first woodland management day with The National Forest. Members of the support centre team ventured out into Sarah's Wood, a 25 acre woodland on the edge of Moira. Using a mixture of materials, including wooden pallets, bricks, plastic bottles, toilet/kitchen roll inner tubes and shredded paper, we helped to build a number of new bug hotel habitats in the woods. These bug hotels will support local wildlife and will also be used as educational tools by The National Forest!

Tree planting

Support Centre team help The National Forest to plant 500 new trees

In November 2016, team members based at our Support Centre in Leicestershire took part in a tree planting day. Over two sessions, the team planted 500 new trees at Cadborough Hill Wood in the heart of The National Forest.


Bruce McKendrick, Chief Executive Officer at Forest Holidays, said: “Our woodland management days with the National Forest are not only great fun but also a great way to support the growing partnership between our two organisations, whilst also supporting our joint aims of protecting the forest and its ecosystems.”

Forest Holidays team plant 500 trees within The National Forest
Forest Holidays team plant 500 trees within The National Forest
Forest Holidays team plant 500 trees within The National Forest
Forest Holidays team plant 500 trees within The National Forest
Forest Holidays team plant 500 trees within The National Forest
Forest Holidays team plant 500 trees within The National Forest
Forest Holidays team plant 500 trees within The National Forest
Forest Holidays team plant 500 trees within The National Forest

The National Forest Walk

Celebrating a one year anniversary

In May 2017 we celebrated our one year anniversary with The National Forest by taking part in the National Forest Walking Festival. The festival aims to help people reconnect with the landscape, nature and each other. No matter if you are an experienced country walker or complete beginner, there are walks for all levels.

The team took the 4.5 mile scenic Hicks Lodge Walk stopping off at historic sites such as the Moira Furnace. After completing the walk we presented The National Forest with a cheque of £17,190 which was raised by donations from our wonderful guests. The money will go to the improvement of the forest and is enough to plant 1,700 tress! A fantastic day for all involved.