Backing appeal proves a good bet

One Child One Tree

THE lives of children in Cameroon will be transformed after an Oldham-based organisation worked in partnership with Manchester235 Casino to plant 10,000 fruit trees in the West African country.

The Green Earth Appeal, one of the United Nations Environment Programme's global tree planting partners and based in Oldham, works with businesses to plant trees in developing countries.

Its latest One Child, One Tree project pay for the planting of 10,000 trees in Mamfe, on the Manyu river, by working in collaboration with United Action for Children, a non-governmental organisation which operates directly at the heart of local communities.

Manchester235 Casino offered diners at its award- winning restaurant, James Martin Manchester, an opportunity to plant a tree with the purchase of their meal, for an addition of 99p to their bill.

Mark Hands, venue director at Manchester235 Casino, said: ³The whole team at Manchester235 are thrilled to have been involved in this latest push to support the Green Earth Appeal.

"We've had fantastic support and enthusiasm for One Child One Tree from our customers; we can't thank them enough for their continued generosity!

"I'm sure the initiative is going to have a huge impact in the region and I'm wishing the children of Mamfe the best of luck with their education and success in the future."

Since the partnership launched in 2010, the casino and the local community it serves have participated in the planting of more than 120,000 fruit trees in some of the world's poorest countries, contributing to a net reduction of the venue's carbon-footprint as well as enriching the lives of those most in need.

In the Manyu region of south-west Cameroon, 51 per cent of the population live well below the poverty line and many are forced to resort to deforestation as a means of survival.

The short-term approach to the Earth's resources has severe implications for both the long-term economic development in the region and for global carbon emissions.

The money raised through the One Child One Tree initiative will pay for trees and agricultural tools, such as spades and wheelbarrows, and will enable more than 500 of Mamfe's school children, aged between six and 11, to receive practical training and education about the importance of good environmental stewardship and the long term economic benefits it offers.