The Woodland Trust is launching one of the most ambitious projects ever devised by a British charity – a drive to get the public involved in planting 20 million trees.

Britain has only 4% of tree cover, making it one of most tree-free countries in Europe and here in the Yorkshire Dales, the figure is only roughly half that because of large-scale felling in past centuries to make way for sheep pasture.

The Woodland Trust’s aim is to double the national figure and it has launched a scheme to offer funding to farmers and landowners with space for more trees and the free gift of tree-planting kits to schools and community groups.

The campaign is backed by celebrities like the Yorkshire-born actor Sean Bean, who has worked on planting schemes in his native Sheffield, and the TV presenter and lawyer Clive Anderson, president of the trust.

He says: “"We realise 20 million trees is a huge task but an increase in tree-planting rates is essential, and we can’t do it alone"

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