North Yorkshire: Tree trail launched to honour pandemic victims

Council leader Carl Les taking part in the tree planting ceremony at County Hall in Northallerton

A tree trail to honour people who died with Covid-19 during the pandemic will be planted in North Yorkshire.

It will feature eight trees at locations including the council headquarters in Northallerton.

Two tree-planting ceremonies have already taken place and a further six are scheduled.

Council leader Carl Les said the trail will be a memorial to "those whose lives were lost and those who made enormous sacrifices to help others".

More than 1,700 people died as a result of the pandemic in North Yorkshire, according to the county council.

Trees for the trail will be planted at care homes and centres in Starbeck, Selby, Skipton, Bainbridge, Scarborough and Norton.

Mr Les said: "North Yorkshire is a very large county and it is appropriate to have a trail at different locations to act as a marker for those who wish to remember others. Together, they form a memorial across the county, which will flourish for generations to come."

Councillor Michael Harrison planting a tree at Meadowfields ExtraCare development in Thirsk