Soldiers plant first of 84,000 saplings for Grantham's Diamond Wood

Troops based in Lincolnshire have planted the first 2,000 saplings of a new 70 hectare (173 acre) wood to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

A total of 84,000 trees will be planted at Somerby Hill in Grantham under the guidance of the Woodland Trust.

It will help improve the county's woodland cover, the charity said.

The new wood will also provide cover for military training exercises carried out by soldiers at the Prince William of Gloucester barracks.

David Olney, from the Ministry of Defence, said: "This excellent initiative allows us to continue to improve training facilities, whilst securing significant conservation and environmental benefits at no extra cost."

Residents will be invited to help plant trees later in the year, the Woodland Trust said.

The charity said it hoped to raise £60,000 towards the £600,000 it would spend planting trees around the Lincolnshire area.

Sixty new Diamond Woods are being planted across the country this year, as part of the Jubilee Woods project.