THE family and friends of a mum who inspired a memorial project to turn woollen Christmas trees into a real forest, gathered to plant one especially for her in the place she loved.

Helen Louise Hambleton, from Hamsterley, near Bishop Auckland, was well-known through her role as business manager for the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership.

It was a job that saw her work with people across the Durham Dales and her kindness, passion for the countryside and ability to bring people together made her very popular.

Ms Hambleton's life was cut short last May when she died of breast cancer aged just 44.

But in a bid to keep her memory alive, co-ordinator of the Weardale Area Action Partnership (AAP), Angelina Maddison, invited the public to take part in the Helen's Forest project to remember the mother-of-one.

Knitters from across the region took part in the scheme, which encouraged people to knit Christmas tree decorations using a special pattern commissioned by the AAP.

The decorations were then sold in Hamsterley Forest by cafe operator Jane Walker, with the hope of using the money raised to buy saplings to plant in the forest in Ms Hambleton's memory.

However, when Alex MacLennan and fellow Forestry Commission staff heard about the project, they insisted on covering the cost of the saplings, meaning all of the proceeds - a total of £700 - will now be donated to Cancer Research UK to help others affected by the disease.

Ms Hambleton’s family, including her two dogs Bingo and Tipton, gathered at the forest on Saturday to plant an oak tree in her honour.

Ms Hambleton's son, Tom, covered the young sapling in soil in the Oak Tree Carpark, a quiet part of the forest where his mum enjoyed walking.

The 13-year-old, who was helped by forest ranger Darren Best, thanked everyone for coming.

His father, Paul Hambleton, said: "I think Helen would have been really pleased to see the tree here and everybody together."

Ms Hambleton's parents, Eileen and John Smith, along with other family members, also joined in the memorial event and paid tribute to their daughter.

Mrs Smith said: "It's a beautiful way of remembering Helen in an area she loved. She would walk here every day, this area was her life and I'm sure it's a lasting memory.

"She would love coming here and walking it and it gives us a bit of comfort."

Mrs Smith added: "Everyone has been so kind in giving their time to the project and we really appreciate it."

Mrs Maddison praised everyone involved and said the project has "taken on a life of its own" as 160 patterns were distributed to more than 17 groups across the North-East.

"It has helped bring all the communities together and Helen would have been pleased about that," she said.

Mr MacLennan said it was a pleasure to plant a tree in memory of such a special person.

He said: "Helen gave so much to the area so we thought it was only fitting to have a tree which will go on for 1,000 years."