THOUSANDS of trees will be planted at St Ives Estate in Bingley over the next two weeks to replace those lost to disease.

Bradford Council’s Trees and Woodlands Section will be working in partnership with the charity Trees for Cities, who have secured funding from corporate partner Npower, and volunteers.

The two community tree planting days in Betty's Wood are Thursday, January 17, and Saturday, January 26.

A total of 14,500 whips will be planted, all around 40-60cm tall, made up of birch, oak, wild cherry, hazel, wych elm, hawthorn and dog rose.

Volunteers are asked to meet at the bottom car park at St Ives at 10am or find the team in the woods, if you are arriving later, take a spade if you have one and sturdy footwear, several layers of clothes, a bit of food and some hot drinks.

The trees making up the area known as Betty’s Wood were cut down in response to the discovery of the plant disease Phytophthora ramorum, which is also known as the ‘plant destroyer’.

Anyone wanting to take part in the tree planting, can email woodlands@bradford.gov.uk with your name, contact details, and confirming that you are over 16 years of age. Children will be very welcome to help but must be accompanied by a responsible adult.