As the chief executive of an international charity devoted to improving local environments, I wish to congratulate Brighton and Hove City Council on its Street Doctors initiative.

There are many well-meaning schemes that try to involve residents in environmental activity but few of them have the vision and practical application of Street Doctors.

The most successful community initiatives are the ones that integrate local concerns with realistic support and training for volunteers and the Street Doctors project seems ideally designed to achieve this.

-Kay Sexton, chief executive, International Tree Foundation, Crawley Down