Volunteers plant 800 trees at National Trust site

The National Trust in west Cornwall has planted 800 trees to help tackle climate change

The National Trust and local community groups have planted 800 trees in west Cornwall to help tackle climate change.

The trust said there was a mixture of 22 different native species on the edge of Godolphin Woods following the planting programme.

It said the programme had been funded by Forest for Cornwall, which paid for the supply of saplings.

John Cartwright, area ranger for the west Cornwall countryside team, said increasing the woodland and forests was one of the "simplest ways to tackle climate change".

John Cartwright said planting trees helped mitigate against the effects of climate change

"Trees are like the superheroes of the environment; they mitigate against the effects of climate change and preserve biodiversity," said Mr Cartwright.

"Trees lock in carbon emissions that otherwise contribute towards global warming by absorbing and storing carbon, and at the same time improve biodiversity by providing shelter, food and habitats for wildlife such as insects, small mammals and birds."

The community groups involved included community interest company (CIC) Shifting Horizons, who offer forest and beach school early intervention programmes to young people in the west Penwith, members from Godophin Cross Community Association, and participants from Bys Vyken, a Cornish running events company.

Director at Bys Vyken Martin Penney said as a Cornish trial events company it was important to them to give back to the local community.

He said: "We've been working with the National Trust for several years and the team gave us the opportunity to help with green projects and to put something back into the countryside that we love so much."