A KEIGHLEY firm has donated 100 trees to be planted in the county as a ‘thank you’ to customers for their loyalty over the past year.

Keybury Fire & Security has gifted the trees as part of its membership of the tourism marketing body, Welcome to Yorkshire.

The company’s managing director, Frank Gee, said: “The last year has been hard for so many that we decided to gift these trees, as part of the Welcome to Yorkshire membership, to some of our longest-standing customers.

“Our team was asked to nominate clients who have had Keybury systems for a long time and we were overwhelmed with suggestions.

“A lot of our engineers, admin staff and managers have been with the company for many years – with some of our engineers going back to the same customers year in, year out, to service their alarms.

“The tree-planting idea has been a really joyful project and lifted the spirits of both our team and the customers involved.

“The tree and membership packs have been sent to clients across the county – from Harrogate to York to Sowerby Bridge.”

Welcome to Yorkshire launched its global My Y membership scheme on Yorkshire Day, August 1, last year.

The aim was to engage with Yorkshire people – and those with a love of the county – across the world.

James Mason, the organisation’s chief executive, said: “We’ve had an overwhelming response to the membership programme and we’re really grateful to the team at Keybury for this kind gift gesture to customers – an ideal way to acknowledge and thank clients for their loyalty after a particularly turbulent time for so many.

“We’re aware of the huge diaspora of Yorkshire folk across the globe and the massive love people have for this part of the world and we’ve heard of many truly heart-warming stories about why people are gifting or signing-up and what it means to have those ties to our brilliant county and to have trees planted.

“The idea really seems to have caught the public’s imagination and we’re thrilled to have already dedicated over two thousand trees – around a hectare of woodland and the size of two rugby pitches – to sites across the county.”

For further information about the My Y scheme, visit yorkshire.com/membership.