WORCESTER has been awarded Champion City status in a new initiative to mark Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee.

The Queen's Green Canopy (QGC) is a tree planting initiative to mark Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee in 2022, encouraging cities, villages, businesses, scout groups, and individuals to plant trees during the planting season of October to March 2022.

The QGC launched the Champion City initiative to highlight UK cities that have ensured that woodlands are a central part of their plans for green spaces, and Worcester has been recognised as one of them.

Other cities recognised as champion cities are Belfast, Cardiff, Chester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Greater Manchester, Leicester, Newcastle, Preston, Swansea, Southampton and York.

The Mayor of Worcester, Councillor Stephen Hodgson, said: “On behalf of the people of Worcester I would like to express what a great honour it is for our city.

"The city council will now work with residents to plant new trees at each of our Queen Elizabeth II Fields in Trust green spaces and I will be leading a special tree-planting ceremony at King George V playing fields.

"Local residents will be involved in the choice of trees and in the design of the setting for the King George V playing fields tree.”

The Queen Elizabeth II Fields in Trust's green spaces in the city, which will be getting new trees, are:

• St Peter’s Power Park

• Cherry Orchard local nature reserve

• Offerton Lane local nature reserve

• Weyburn Close

• Northwick Lido

• Oldbury Road park

• Warndon Park

• Cromwell Crescent

Seventy ancient woodlands will be dedicated to celebrate the 70 years of the Queen's reign.

QGC's tree planting initiative will begin again in October 2022 till the end of the Jubilee year.