The Association of Fundraising Professionals has planted a cedar tree at a Warwick nature reserve to honour the charitable work of the XL Catlin Foundation.

Both XL and Catlin, major insurance and reinsurance firms now combined, have a long history of philanthropy in Bermuda and were celebrated on National Philanthropy Day on Wednesday at the Bermuda National Trust’s Higgs nature reserve.

AFP Bermuda Chapter president Jennifer Burland-Adams said: “I want to thank Mark Berry from the XL Catlin Foundation and the leadership team at XL Catlin for their commitment to making a difference in Bermuda as we celebrate National Philanthropy Day 2017.”

The XL Catlin Foundation sponsors the annual End-to-End Walk which raises tens of thousands of dollars for charity.

The foundation also supports education, the elderly and exploration.

The XL Catlin four-year scholarship is awarded annually to a Bermudian student.

The XL Catlin Day of Giving sees employees around the world take a day to work on a local project with 250,000 hours of volunteer time donated. The foundation also sponsored the volunteer programme at the 35th America’s Cup.

Mr Berry said: “XL Catlin is committed to making a difference in Bermuda and other communities in which we operate.

“An example of this is our annual Global Day of Giving which unites colleagues in every office around the world in donating time and skills to the communities in which we live and work.

“The day focuses on specific skills we can share and the labour and energy we can offer.

“Among other things, colleagues have helped to preserve historic sites, run educational activities for children, serve meals at homeless shelters, and paint and garden for local community centres.”