BSW Timber is lending its support to Grown in Britain Week, starting Monday 14 October 14, which celebrates the valuable contribution that forestry and home-grown timber products make to the UK economy.

The week-long series of activity and events throughout the UK has been organised as part of a national campaign to raise awareness of the nation’s forestry sector, which contributes £1bn to the UK economy and supports 170,000 mostly rural jobs.

BSW Timber produces around 1,000,000 m3 of sawn timber each year, mainly for the UK’s construction, fencing and landscaping market. All timber is sourced from UK woodlands and forests, helping to support 750 jobs at its six UK sawmills, plus thousands more across the local supply chain.

The company now produces almost one third of all UK sawn softwood output following a multi-million pound investment in modern manufacturing sites and customer services across the UK.

Welcoming the launch of Grown in Britain Week, Tony Hackney, the company’s chief executive, said: “The Grown in Britain campaign comes at a critical time for UK producers - both to highlight the importance of timber to the UK and to galvanising industry and government support for British forestry and forestry products

“There has never been a better time to celebrate UK timber and the role it plays in improving and driving forward our economy - and supporting jobs and investment in predominantly rural areas, as well as the local supply chain.”

As part of Grown in Britain Week, a group of 28 delegates representing timber interests across Europe will be visiting BSW’s Fort William mill on Tuesday 15 October in advance of the International Softwood Conference, being held in Edinburgh during the week.

For more information about other activities and events for Grown in Britain Week, visit www.growninbritain.org.