Hi, I’m Marie-Claire,
founder of Trees & People

I am a Community Forestry Consultant raised and educated in South East London. I bring both lived and professional experience of the communities that urban greening initiatives should be prioritising.

In 2019 I co-founded the London-based street tree planting charity Street Trees for Living (STfL), helping a volunteer-led initiative grow into a multi-borough organisation delivering lasting impact. I played a leading role in establishing STfL driven by the desire to bring more greenery into the city. The success behind the charity was achieved through the innovative ways it bridged the gap between local people and landowners.

Consequently, I have worked at the intersection of local authorities and communities; fundraising, building trusted partnerships and designing scalable programmes, making tree planting and aftercare a shared community success.

Through Trees & People I am now focusing on supporting public bodies and voluntary, community and social enterprises to fund and design planting programmes that are inclusive, collaborative and built to last.

Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) avenue outside Prendergast Vale School, Lewisham

Why I founded Trees & People and what I believe

As a community we have become disconnected from the natural world, seeing ourselves as separate from it and no longer a part of it. This has had devastating impacts on our mental and physical well-being and on the ecosystem at large.

One consequence of this is that the urban environment is often viewed as an area that competes with nature, rather than as an opportunity to facilitate it. A contributing issue is when landowners are charged with sole responsibility for the maintenance of green infrastructure, often without the resources or funding to ensure that this greenery thrives.

But there is another way…

The stewardship of trees, plants and wildlife needs to be shared with local communities and residents, and this is exactly the work I drive; co-created, community-led, long-lasting. I believe that environmental justice is social justice. Everyone should have access to nature no matter where they live, and when communities invest in green space the benefits reach far beyond the environment; improving health, strengthening connection and helping people rediscover their relationship with the natural world.

Case Studies
An avenue of Lime trees outside Dalmain Primary School

School children enjoying an avenue of Lime (Tilia) outside Dalmain Primary School, Lewisham

  • “Working alongside Marie-Claire has been a genuine privilege. Her professionalism, unwavering dedication to tree planting, and talent for building strong partnerships have not only driven meaningful outcomes but have also made my own job significantly easier. She elevates every project she is part of.”

    – Jack Delso, Tree Services Manager, London Borough of Lewisham

  • "From the very start working with Marie-Claire was an inspiration and an absolute joy. During her time at Street Trees for Living we saw our partnerships truly flourish. Partnerships are complex, but Marie-Claire has a rare ability to both build and navigate them - turning vision into meaningful action with care and clarity.

    Xanthe Mosley, Co-Founder and Former Chair of Trustees, Street Trees for Living

  • "Working with Marie-Claire has been a joy. She is hugely dynamic, with a natural ability to connect people and build partnerships that go somewhere meaningful. She brings a strong commitment to equity and inclusion into everything she does, and through her work with The Orchard Project has helped develop new programmes to unlock vital funding. She doesn’t just talk about impact, she makes it happen. I highly recommend working with her."

    - Katherine Rosen, CEO, The Orchard Project

  • “Marie-Claire brings both strategic insight and commercial skillsets to deliver on challenging problems. What sets her apart is her collaborative and proactive approach, and her willingness to embrace technological innovation to ensure the best outcomes.”

    – Rob Tustain, Co-Founder & Director, Greentalk

  • “Thank you so much for all your help and encouragement over the last few years, not just with Forster Park Primary but with the wider community. You really have encouraged me more than I think you know. Through your involvement, our school has grown not just aesthetically but also in our children’s interaction with nature, something I am so thankful for.”

    – Katie Bedford, Parent and School Tree Champion, Forster Park Primary School