A TYNE Valley village has joined forces with Northumberland County Council on a tree planting mission.

Ash dieback - a disease that eventually kills trees - has affected over 500 free-standing trees in Ovington.

Concerned residents formed a tree planting group in early 2020 which has now seen trees planted to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, claiming 90 tree saplings from Northumberland County Council’s free tree giveaway.

Concentrating on field boundaries, the group introduced new copses including silver birch, rowan, wild cherry and hawthorn species, replaced diseased trees and started new hedgerows.

Tree planting will continue annually with agreement of landowners including local farmers, the Woodland Trust and the county council.

Anne Hudson, Ovington parish councillor, said: “After the UK hosted COP26, we have to practise what we preach.

"Our whole planet is deteriorating at a very rapid rate and could threaten the human race. This is a very public demonstrable way of showing that not only does Ovington Parish care, the whole county cares.”

Peter Pescod, tree planter and former chair of Ovington Parish Council, said: “Many of us in the third stage of our lives will directly escape the worst consequences of it ourselves, but if our children and grandchildren and those who follow are to have any sort of future, we need to start redressing some of the problems that we have been creating.

"A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step as Laozi Tzu once said, and we all need to work away and do what we can.”

This year, 15,000 tree saplings have been claimed by residents, community groups, schools and town and parish councils, linking up with the Queen’s Green Canopy campaign which encourages everyone to plant a tree for the Jubilee this winter.

Coun. Holly Waddell, ward councillor for Bywell, loaned a hand on the day and added: “These types of partnerships are really important because they empower individuals and communities to take ownership of tackling the climate emergency.

"Ovington is a small village and the fact that we’ve got so many people out today taking positive action just shows that no one is too small to make a big change in the world.”

The scheme will return in summer 2022.