Lincolnshire's NHS staff have always shown great commitment to the people in their care, never more so than in recent times. Lincolnshire is indebted to NHS staff in the county who have demonstrated commitment, endurance, and skill during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lincolnshire Recognition is our way of saying 'thank you' for your service by offering you the chance to plant a commemorative tree and tell your COVID-19 pandemic story.

By working with Lincolnshire’s Woodland Trust charity to develop NHS Woodland Lincolnshire, we are able to do this whilst supporting our collective ambition to look after and protect our county, now and in the future. In Lincolnshire, we are committed to supporting the national Greener NHS ambition.

Working together is the only way we can reverse the decline in wildlife and the challenges we face due to climate change.

The Woodland Trust is working hard to expand tree cover and protect and restore the UK's existing woods. To increase tree cover, its mission is to get 50 million native trees in the ground over the next 5 years. If the UK is to reach its carbon-neutral target by 2050, the Committee on Climate Change has recommended an increase in the woodland cover from 13% to 19%. The NHS in Lincolnshire is pleased to be offering its support towards achieving this huge task.

For more information about Greener NHS, click here

Lincolnshire Recognition has been created as a way of thanking and commemorating NHS staff across Lincolnshire, who worked so hard to protect the people of the county during the COVID-19 pandemic.

You and your Lincolnshire NHS colleagues will be honoured through these planting schemes, and we encourage you to register your story and the part you played here so that your legacy can be recorded and shared.

Yes. Everyone who chooses to plant their own sapling will automatically be offered the opportunity to register with the NHS Woodland Lincolnshire programme too, via this website.

No, we are only offering a choice of three trees indigenous to the UK – the Crab Apple, Wild Cherry, and Dogwood Tree. These have been selected in collaboration with The Woodland Trust in accordance with their advice, to support natural wildlife and provide sustainable tree coverage to Lincolnshire.

Your sapling will be potted and approximately 20-60cm tall at this early stage in its life. This means that it is easily transportable, even if you arrive to collect it on foot or public transport.

Following our successful schedule of Lincolnshire Recognition sapling collection events across the county, we have organised two more collection events - one in Lincoln, the other in Boston - at which you can collect your chosen sapling.

Here are the details of the additional collection events:

Lincoln: Wed 18 May – Lincoln County Hospital, Social Club car park, St Anne's Rd, Lincoln LN2 5RA

Boston: Thu 19 May – Pilgrim Hospital - grassed area adjacent to the Pilgrim Restaurant, PE21 9QS

Each of these Roadshow events will run between 11am and 2pm.

When you register for your sapling on this website, you will need to select which of these events you wish to attend.

When you arrive at the collection point, you will be met by members of the NHS Lincolnshire Recognition Roadshow team.

You will need to present your NHS photo ID/lanyard to receive your sapling.

If a colleague, family member, or friend is collecting a sapling on your behalf, they will need to present an authorisation letter or email in order to receive your tree. For more details, see the FAQ below. 

Remember that your sapling is at the start of its life, so it will be potted and approximately 20-60cm tall. This means that it is easily transportable, even if you arrive to collect it on foot or public transport.

Yes, you will need to provide proof that you work for NHS Lincolnshire to collect your sapling. We recommend your NHS photo ID/lanyard.

Yes, you can arrange for a colleague, family member, or friend to collect your sapling on your behalf, but they must present an authorisation email or letter in order to receive your tree. Please ensure this email/letter includes the following information:

• Your full name
• Your job title
• Your employing organisation
• The type of tree you have requested

The Woodland Trust provide an excellent guide to the most successful ways to plant your tree. Find out more here:

How to Plant Trees - Plant Trees - Woodland Trust

Whether you intend to plant your tree on your own land or in a public or other space, The Woodland Trust provide an excellent guide to the things you need to consider when choosing a location for your tree. Find out more here:

Where to Plant - Plant Trees - Woodland Trust

Remember, however, if you do intend to plant your tree on public or other land, you must secure the permission of the legal landowner.

Once your tree is in the ground, it’s important to care for it to help it thrive, particularly in the first few years.

The Woodland Trust provide excellent guidance on how to look after your tree. For more information click here:

How to Care for Your Trees - Plant Trees - Woodland Trust

Trees grow at different rates depending on many factors, including species, soil conditions, climate and maintenance.

However, generally speaking, the Crab Apple, Dogwood and Wild Cherry tree will each grow one-to-two feet per year

Mature Crab Apple and Dogwood trees can grow up to 10m in height. Mature Wild Cherry trees can grow up to 30m in height.

When you sign up to be a part of the honorary NHS Woodland Lincolnshire programme, you will be registering your support for the planting of woodland dedicated to the county’s NHS staff.

You will also be receiving a certificate to thank you for your commitment, skill, endurance, and dedicated service during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are working with Lincolnshire’s Woodland Trust charity to develop NHS Woodland Lincolnshire, in support of our collective ambition to look after and protect our county, now and in the future.

The NHS Woodland Lincolnshire is not a single place, but several locations across the county where we will be planting trees throughout 2022 to commemorate Lincolnshire’s NHS team, who worked so hard to protect the people of the county during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Once sapling planting has begun, we will be updating the map on this site to show you where our saplings are being planted across the county. Please keep checking the map to see NHS Woodland Lincolnshire grow.

And remember, each tree planted honours your and your colleagues’ hard work and dedication throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. That is why we are also asking you to take this opportunity to register your story and the part you played here so that your legacy can be recorded and shared.

No, the NHS Woodland Scheme will not plant a tree for each individual. However, each tree that is planted honours your and your colleagues’ hard work and dedication throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is therefore not possible to ‘tag’ trees with individual plaques, but we are exploring NHS plaques for larger planting opportunities.

We do also hope that you will share your certificate, stories and the county planting map with your loved ones.

In the first phase of the NHS Woodland Lincolnshire programme, we intend to plant 6000 trees, with additional trees planted throughout the rest of 2022.

The NHS Woodland Lincolnshire trees are being planted at various locations across the county, including public spaces and at NHS properties. As more sites are confirmed, our planting map will be updated, so please keep checking the map to see NHS Woodland Lincolnshire grow. 

No, you can simply choose to plant a tree yourself, register for the NHS Lincolnshire Woodland programme, or both.

We do actively encourage you to share your story, though. We are incredibly grateful for the commitment, skill, endurance, and dedicated service you have given to the people of Lincolnshire during the COVID-19 pandemic and we want to record and share your legacy. 

You can write as little or as much as you want.

The main intention for gathering your stories is to create an online remembrance book of Lincolnshire NHS' response to the COVID-19 pandemic for now and the future. All contributions will be publicly available for anyone to read. 

We anticipate that we may receive some external interest (for example, from the media) and this may include a request to publish some of the personal stories on non-NHS sites (such as a local newspaper website). Where we choose to support these requests, we will inform the colleagues in question first.