SCHOOLS and communities are among those to benefit from a raft of free trees delivered across Gloucestershire.

The Woodland Trust, the largest woodland conservation charity in the country, has released trees to be planted by people of all ages and backgrounds in a variety of locations throughout the UK.

AboutAround 2,970 trees have been delivered to locations in Gloucestershire, a county that’s tree cover is just over the national average of 13 per cent.

Chief executive of the Woodland Trust, Beccy Speight, said: “Our free tree scheme has been running since 2004 and so far we have delivered 7.6 million free trees for many different causes – bringing nature to hundreds of thousands of people.

“It is really great to see the many reasons people plant these trees, from providing that little bit of green space amid a sea of buildings, as part of projects to bring people together and for the health benefits of getting into the great outdoors.

“Of course, there are the equally important environmental reasons – more trees means more oxygen, more homes for wildlife, and more spaces that people can enjoy and visit.”

The trees will also contribute towards the Woodland Trust’s First World War Centenary Woods Project, which involves planting millions of trees to create a legacy to those who lived and served in the First World War. It is also creating four new woods – one in each of the UK’s four countries - as part of the project.

Schools and communities can now apply for tree packs for autumn 2016. Visit:and the Woodland Trust has 4,750 packs available.

People can apply for packs by going to: woodlandtrust.org.uk/freetrees.