KEN DODD helped Merseyside school children begin planting a forest the size of 2,500 football pitches yesterday.
Children from Mount Primary School, in New Brighton, planted the first tree of the NHS Forest, at Alder Hey hospital.
The scheme will see the planting of 1.3m trees across the UK, representing a sapling for every employee in the NHS.
Planting the tree, Ken Dodd said: “There’s no better place to start the forest than at Alder Hey, in Knotty Ash. We should all be planting trees everywhere to help the planet.”
Alder Hey is working closely with the Forestry Commission to create its planned new £288m hospital in a parkland setting, where patients will be able to play as part of their recovery process.
The scheme is currently being assessed, before submission to the Department of Health.
The forest project will see trees, bushes and flowers on every NHS campus, benefiting patients and staff.
Patients, relatives and staff will be encouraged to have trees planted as a thank-you to the NHS.
