Bradford's 10,000 new trees to be planted to celebrate Queen's reign

The trees will create a lasting legacy to the Queen's 70 years of service

Thousands of trees will be planted to create an "urban forest" in Bradford to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Schools and community groups will help plant up to 10,000 trees to make up the city woodland in Newhall Park.

It is part of the Queen's Green Canopy Project which encourages people across the country to plant a tree to mark 70 years of her majesty's reign in 2022.

Planting will start at the weekend to transform the flat, underused space into a "vibrant woodland".

Celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarsh, who was born in Ilkley and is an ambassador for The Queen's Green Canopy (QGC), described the project as a "brilliant local initiative".

QGC will work alongside charity Trees for Cities and Bradford council to bring the community together for the tree-planting effort.

The project also contributes to the council's "Tree for Every Child" programme, which forms part of a broader plan to plant 55,000 trees over the next three years.

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Writer, presenter and former political spin doctor Alastair Campbell, who spent much of his childhood around Bradford, is among those who will plant a tree on Saturday.

He said: "I spent the first 11 years of my life in West Yorkshire and I think travelling around with my dad on his vet's rounds visiting farms was when I first experienced the power and the pull of beautiful scenery.

"Trees are so important to that, and so important to our urban life too."