To mark his 85th birthday in 2019, Paul Gauselmann donated 85,000 trees to set down a marker in the fight against climate change. MERKUR has picked-up the mantle in the UK working with a range of environmental groups supporting the planting of native trees, reviving waterways, bringing ecosystems back to life and protecting ancient woodlands for the benefit of local communities and future generations.
MERKUR UK’s social purpose program which has seen the brand and its customers raise and distribute £147,000 to 75 organisations in the opening six months of 2025 is supporting a raft of environmental and conservation groups. The supported organisations which are selected following recommendations made by customers and team members working across the MERKUR UK family of businesses, comprise the Scottish Wildlife Trust (£2,000), Kent Wildlife Trust (£5,000), Somerset Wildlife Trust (£2,000), Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (£2,000), Parks Trust (£1,000) and Ecologi which received an award of £7,100 to fund UK-based nature restoration and climate projects including tree planting and forest conservation.
Reflecting on the program, MERKUR UK General Manager Sascha Blodau said: “Whilst we have supported a wide range of organisations from food banks to community kitchens and sports clubs to community groups I am delighted that we have also been able to help organisations that focus on the environment.
“Our founder Paul Gauselmann led the way when he launched the Tress for Life initiative. For his 85th birthday celebrated in 2019, he decided not to just talk about the environment but to also make a tangible contribution to climate protection himself. He donated 1,000 trees for each year of his life and thus kicked off the ‘Trees for life’ project, to benefit the afforestation and reforestation of forests in Germany.”
Sascha Blodau continued: “Nature contributes so much to our collective wellbeing and it’s so important that we all do whatever we can to pass-on a liveable and sustainable world to the next generations. Unfortunately, because so many people are living in survival mode, the importance of our environment has taken a back seat.
“For many environmental groups the increase in demand for their services has coincided with a drop in their income in the process creating a funding crisis. I am delighted that we have been able to extend the hand of support for groups throughout the country that do so much for the environment, boosting local biodiversity and protecting nature reserves.”
Fighting for the environment
Sascha Blodau said……
“For many environmental groups the increase in demand for their services has coincided with a drop in their income in the process creating a funding crisis. I am delighted that we have been able to extend the hand of support for groups throughout the country that do so much for the environment, boosting local biodiversity and protecting nature reserves……
MERKUR UK: The environmental mission
Scottish Wildlife Trust
The Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT), Scotland’s leading conservation charity, manages over 100 reserves across the country. With over 90 percent of the population living within 10 miles of one of the reserves it works to protect nature sites through practical action, policy and campaigning.
MERKUR has provided a £2,000 donation to help support the work of the Cumbernauld Nurturing Natural Connections programme to restore woodlands, plant trees, improve waterways and enhance grasslands while also providing training and volunteer opportunities for local people.
The project will help boost local biodiversity from otters to butterflies. Jane Rice, Corporate Partnerships Manager at the SWT said: “We are very grateful for this generous support which will help us undertake large scale nature restoration in a rapidly developing urban area. Our work includes planting native trees, reviving waterways, supporting endangered species, and providing training for local people in a bid to protect nature for the benefit of the local community, now and in the future.”
Kent Wildlife Trust
Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT) has 33,000+ members, 1,000 volunteers and manages over 9,500 acres of land. Together with their partners, supporters and grazing animals, they transform habitats, restore and protect species and bring ecosystems back to life across the county.
The KWT maintains 90 nature reserves in the county with two visitor centres in Sevenoaks and Maidstone. It also runs an educational and schools programme as well as adult study days and courses. Their community and engagement team, volunteers and ‘wild about gardens’ team hold talks and provide advice to groups.
MERKUR UK has provided £5,000 in funding as part of a Corporate Partnership. The funding will help to support three of Kent Wildlife Trust’s nature reserves located close to the MERKUR venues in Maidstone, Gillingham and Dover.
Somerset Wildlife Trust
The Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT) vision is to create a nature recovery network across the county, making more space for wildlife, helping to reverse biodiversity loss and contributing to tackling the climate crisis. The goal is for at least 30 percent of land and sea to be managed positively for nature, with restored natural processes and better-connected habitats.
The Trust helps people connect with the wildlife around them and supports communities to take action for nature. Activities include citizen science, creative projects and working with groups in the arts, culture and health sectors.
The funding will be used to support SWT’s community engagement work in nature reserves and sites across Somerset.
Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust
The county’s leading conservation charity the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (NWT) cares for dozens of nature reserves across the county including wildflower meadows, wetlands and ancient woodlands. It engages communities through events, education and volunteering opportunities.
Emily Patrick, NWT’s Partnerships and Trusts Manager, commented: “The MERKUR Community donation will support vital work across our wetland nature reserves, providing a space for people to enjoy and wildlife to thrive.”
The Parks Trust
The Parks Trust is responsible for over 6,000 acres of green space in Milton Keynes and includes parks, ancient woodlands, lakes, river valleys as well as more than 80 miles of landscaped areas along the city’s grid roads.
Unlike most towns and cities, where parkland is managed by the local authority Milton Keynes was designed differently. The city founders took a pioneering approach by creating a dedicated charity to manage and protect green spaces for the long term. This ensures that as the city grows, its natural spaces are preserved and never forced to compete for public funding.
To support this work, MERKUR Initiative has donated £1,000 to help maintain and protect the green spaces in Milton Keynes.
Ecologi
Ecologi is a climate action platform that has grown into a community of over 24,000 businesses and 40,000 members. With community support, Ecologi has funded the planting of over 87 million trees, prevented more than 3.4 million tonnes of CO2e from entering the atmosphere through certified carbon avoidance projects, and achieved B Corp Certification.
The UK has lost more than half its biodiversity since the Industrial Revolution, largely due to human activity. The most recent State of Nature Report revealed that 1 in 6 species in the UK is now at risk of extinction. Reversing this trend requires urgent action – through habitat restoration, sustainable agriculture and effective climate solutions like permanent carbon removal.
MERKUR Initiative is proud to continue supporting Ecologi in 2025 and has donated £7,100.50 to help fund UK-based nature restoration and climate projects, including high-quality native tree planting. Forest conservation and restoration are vital climate strategies, helping to remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it naturally in trees’ biomass.
