CHILDREN are taking part in a tree-planting project at a woodland.

Pupils from eight schools are taking part in a week-long programme as part of a woodland improvement scheme.

The site, near Allensford, Consett, falls within the Derwent Valley, and the tree-planting is being led by the Woodland Trust.

It has bought the land to plant native trees, restoring woodland that has been lost over the last few hundred years.

This work is part of the Land of Oak and Iron’s Woodland Restoration project, one of 14 schemes each focussing on a different aspect of this area’s natural, industrial and cultural heritage.

Community engagement officer Kath Marshall-Ivens said: “The tree planting project is to restore the native oak woodlands, which helped made the Derwent Valley into the hive of industrial activity that it once was.

“Not many people know that ‘Derwent’ means ‘valley thick with oaks’ and it was the proliferation of these woodlands coupled with the mineral rich soil that was instrumental in the industrial development of the area in the 17th and 18th centuries.”

There will be a community planting session on Sunday, February 12, from 10am to 1pm and everyone is welcome.

People should park at Allensford Country Park and follow the signs up the hill.