More than 700,000 trees planted in Surrey

Children and adults have been creating orchards in Surrey as part of the initiative

More than 700,000 trees have been planted in Surrey as the county council aims for 1.2 million saplings by 2030.

In the past year, Surrey County Council said its initiative had created about 49,000 new trees and hedgerows.

This brings the total number of trees planted to 768,832 since 2019 – more than halfway to the county's target of planting one tree for every Surrey resident.

A range of community projects have been supporting the challenge.

Community projects across Surrey have helped get the county more than half way towards achieving its planting goal

Staff at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory in Dorking took part in a workshop, planting 20 fruit trees and three young oak trees in a new orchard.

Pupils on the eco council at Broadwater School in Waverley learned about the importance of trees and planted 753 trees to create a "reflection area".

Meanwhile, an orchard of 10 fruit trees was created at Goldsworth Park Medical Centre in Woking as part of the NHS Forest scheme, which aims to transform green spaces within healthcare sites to improve health, wellbeing and biodiversity.

Marisa Heath, Surrey County Council's cabinet member for environment, said: "Trees play a vital role in enhancing the appearance of Surrey's green spaces, while also strengthening our climate resilience.

"We couldn't do this alone, so I thank all the partners, communities and residents who support this initiative. I encourage you to continue to do so to achieve our target for the benefit of our communities and future generations to come."