On Monday the charity promoted its First World War Centenary Woods project, which will see four new woods created covering a total of 2,000 acres, one in each country of the UK.
A hundred years on from the conflict, the campaign pays tribute to all those who suffered in WW1 with a lasting, natural legacy.
MPs and Peers gathered on the terrace to praise the organisation’s work and express their solidarity with the cause.
Speaking at the event, the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on First World War Commemoration, Andrew Murrison said creating new woodland for future generations was a “wonderful way of commemorating the Centenary of the Great War,” describing it as a “living memorial”.
Conservative MP for Weaver Vale, Graham Evans, who hosted the event in Parliament, revealed that the issue had personal resonance for him.
He told PoliticsHome: “I am a student of the First World War. I feel passionately that the current generation needs to be aware of the War, because it happened only 100 years ago to their grandparents and their great grandparents.
“The Woodland Trust does a fantastic job in my constituency in Weaver Vale. So, bringing the two things together I was very happy to sponsor this event today.
“We need to have more tree-planting and this is a wonderful excuse to plant more trees.”
He went on to urge his parliamentary colleagues to personally plant a tree as part of the initiative, and the Woodland Trust encouraged this further by giving saplings away as gifts to attendees.
Also speaking was Woodland Trust CEO Beccy Speight, who outlined the charity’s ambitious plans.
She said: “All those who made sacrifices in the First World War did so in the hope of securing a brighter future life for the next generation, and we owe great thanks to the soldiers, nurses, the families who stayed at home, for their courage during that war.
“The Woodland Trust’s First World War Centenary Woods absolutely embodies that sentiment. We are planting four flagship national woods to say thank you, but also whilst safeguarding the future landscape for the enjoyment of others.
“As well as the new woods we are creating, we are also offering 3 million free trees for schools and community groups to plant, and we hope very much that other landowners will join us in creating their own centenary woods to mark the passing of a hundred years.”