Earth Day 2026: One Year of Thompson Wood

Just over a year ago, the shareholders and owners of FT Construction Group which includes Tom Willoughby and our sister companies Walter Thompson’s and Langton’s donated a 9.5-acre site in Romanby to the local community.

The land had been privately held by the founding family behind the group for decades, and the decision to give it back was a deeply personal one. Now named Thompson Wood after the late Stanley Thompson, the site has been transformed into a new community woodland, planted in partnership with the White Rose Forest and funded through the Defra-backed Trees for Climate programme.

A year on, those trees which include oak, beech, wild cherry, and Scots pine, each chosen for their ecological value and suitability to the land are doing what trees do, cleaning the air, sheltering wildlife, holding the soil and supporting pollinators. The site, which includes a beck and was formerly used for grazing, is also contributing to flood mitigation and long-term landscape resilience for the area. This is what it looks like when sustainability moves beyond a statement and into the ground.

The story behind the woodland

Stanley Thompson founded Walter Thompson Contractors — the business at the heart of what is now FT Construction Group — and purchased the Romanby land in the late 1960s. It remained in private family ownership for more than fifty years. When the FT Construction Group board and shareholders made the decision to transform it into a community woodland and donate it to Northallerton, the name was never in doubt. Thompson Wood honours Stanley Thompson’s legacy — and returns something of real value to a community this group of businesses has served for over a century.

A day to remember

The planting day on 5th March 2025 brought together an extraordinary mix of people: 78 children from Romanby Primary School, local residents, members of Romanby Parish Council, Northallerton BID, the WI, and employees from across the FT Group. Many used the What3words app to record the exact location of their personally planted tree, so they can find it again, watch it grow, and one day bring their own families back to see it.

What Earth Day 2026 means for Thompson Wood

Earth Day is a moment to look beyond good intentions and ask what’s actually been done. Thompson Wood is our answer to that question.

Looking ahead to 2030

Thompson Wood will be carefully managed and protected over the next four years as the young trees continue to establish. Plans are already being explored for footpaths and picnic areas to create a lasting green space for Northallerton and the surrounding community to enjoy for generations.

This Earth Day, we’re proud to say the roots are in the ground. The rest is already growing.

Thomson Wood, Romanby, Northallerton is due to open to the public in 2030.