CFT's Clare Olver Awarded a BEM in the King's Birthday Honours

Massive congratulations to Clare Olver, our fantastic Programmes Manager, on being awarded a British Empire Medal in the King’s Birthday Honours in recognition of her outstanding contribution to community forestry.

This is a richly deserved honour and a fitting tribute to Clare’s dedication, commitment and lasting impact. Through her work at Community Forest Trust, The Mersey Forest and across England’s Community Forests, Clare has helped strengthen landscapes, support communities and champion the value of trees and woodlands for people and place.

We are enormously proud of Clare and delighted to see her contribution recognised at a national level. On behalf of the team and Trustees at Community Forest Trust, congratulations and thank you for all you have done for community forestry.

On being awarded this honour, Clare said “I am incredibly surprised and humbled by this recognition. No one grows a forest alone—community forestry is entirely about collaboration. From programmes like Trees for Climate to local projects, everything we achieve is down to volunteers, landowners, partners, and colleagues. I feel very lucky to see over the years the difference our collective work makes to communities across the country.”