CHURCH-goers at St Barnabas Church in Beanacre are planning to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year by planting 600 trees as part of the Green Canopy project.

Reverend Charlie Thomson and Church Warden Stanford Cole have already started work to plan the planting on Saturday, March 12 from 10am onwards.

Reverend Thomson said: "The Queen will have been Monarch on February 6th this year for 70 years (the day her father, George V1 died) , although the actual coronation took place a year later on June 2 1953.

"The Woodland Trust is promoting the Queen's Green Canopy project in 2022 as part of the celebrations of her Platinum Jubilee."

Mr Cole added: "We will need a small army to plant the trees, which are a wide variety of English native trees, including ash, oak, rowan and silver birch."

The Church of England in Melksham, via the Melksham Team Ministry, is supporting the initiative to re-wild the perimeter of the cricket field next to St Barnabas Church.

To help plant the trees, please register your interest by emailing hello@melksham.church.

You will need to bring enthusiasm and a spade. The church will provide tea, coffee and friendly banter.