Tree work07884 274693Training01772 369694
We are a family-run tree surgery and training company, established in 2018 and based in Kirkham, Lancashire. We look after trees and grounds across Preston, Lancashire and the North West, and we train and assess the people who do this work for a living.
Jason started out in 2006 with a National Diploma in Arboriculture, and he went on to work as a work-based learning tutor at college. In 2018 he founded Great Oaks, and Vanessa Beig has been part of the business from the very beginning.
The firm is still family-run and still works from one yard in Kirkham, carrying out tree surgery, commercial grounds maintenance and tree surveys for homes, businesses and public sites across Preston, Lancashire and the North West.
Alongside the tree work, Great Oaks runs its own training centre, delivering NPTC and City & Guilds courses in chainsaw work and arboriculture, and an NPTC assessment centre. Teaching has been part of the business from the start: Jason worked as a work-based learning tutor before founding the firm, and our courses are taught by people who do the work for a living. When our own teams go out to a job, they are held to the same standard we expect from the candidates our centre assesses.
Great Oaks is a small firm, and these are the people you will be dealing with when you get in touch.
Everyone who climbs for us holds current City & Guilds units for the work they are doing that day. It is why the standard on site does not vary.
Before founding Great Oaks, Jason worked across the industry, from grounds maintenance to utility arboriculture. He gained Qualified Teacher Status in 2015 and worked as a work-based learning tutor, leading a college arboriculture apprenticeship programme.
Vanessa has been part of Great Oaks since it was founded. She oversees our training and assessment centres and leads our communications. If you book a course or an assessment with us, Vanessa is the one who will make sure it all runs as it should.
Tom has spent more than seventeen years in forestry and arboriculture. He trained in arboriculture, worked as a climber in New Zealand, and spent a decade with Forestry England at Westonbirt, the National Arboretum. He gained his Certificate in Education and lectured in the subject before joining Great Oaks in 2024, where he delivers our specialist practical instruction. He holds NPTC assessor status as well.
Every job we do has a written risk assessment and method statement in place before anyone starts work. That applies whether it is one garden tree or a full commercial site.
We wrote our own system, called Xylem, to run the business. Our job records and safety paperwork live in one place, so nothing gets lost between the office and the crew on site.
Everything below runs from our yard in Kirkham, and each area has its own page if you would like more detail.
We carry out felling, pruning, stump removal and all other aspects of tree work for homes and commercial sites.
We provide regular grounds maintenance for commercial sites across Preston and the North West.
We carry out tree surveys and put what we find in a clear written report.
Our training centre runs NPTC and City & Guilds courses in chainsaw work and arboriculture.
We assess candidates for their NPTC qualifications.
If you want to talk about tree work, a survey or grounds maintenance, call 07884 274693. For chainsaw courses and assessments, call the training centre on 01772 369694. You can email office@greatoakstreeservices.co.uk either way. You will come through to our office in Kirkham and we will take it from there. If you would rather write it down, use the form below and we will get back to you.
Reviews of our tree work, taken from our Google listing.
“Reasonably priced quote, able to come do the work quickly. Arrived promptly when said they would, did the work without fuss and left the garden immaculate, couldn't have asked for more.”
“Very professional service with great attention to safety. Properly equipped. Felled my tree quickly and without fuss. Ground the stump to below soil level and turfed the area. Cleared the debris and left the site clean.”
“Professional and courteous staff. Quick response times and quick on the job.”
Careers
Climbing, grounds maintenance and utility work.Climbing, grounds and utility work.
Arboricultural Association Approved Contractor.
Last minuteAvailability
Starts Monday 19 October 2026
3 days plus 1 for assessment
£9671 place
Entry requirements: Ground Based Chainsaw Operator and Tree Climbing and Aerial Rescue
Book this date, Using a Chainsaw from a Rope and HarnessOr call the training office on 01772 369694
