IF you are looking for Christmas gift ideas, or indeed want to buy one for another reason, the Trust Links charity is encouraging the community to plant trees at one of its outdoor spaces.

For a donation of £70, you would receive a certificate of thanks, plus an invitation to one of the tree planting ceremonies held by Trust Links.

The organisers of the project at Trust Links, which has wellbeing gardens and outdoor spaces around the borough, including Thundersley, Rochford, Westcliff and Southend, suggest the tree can be bought as a gift, as a tree "in memory" or to support your carbon footprint.

The idea was born when Trust Links decided to take part in The Queen’s Green Canopy.

The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is a tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, which invites people from across the UK to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”.

Everyone from individuals to scout and girlguiding groups, villages, cities, counties, schools and corporates is encouraged to play their part to enhance the environment by planting trees during the official planting season between October to March.

Tree planting will commence again in October 2022, through to the end of the Jubilee year.

The Trust Link tree planting ceremonies will take place at the Christmas Fayre - Growing Together Westcliff, at Fairfax Drive, on December 4, from 11am - 2pm; the Wassailing event at St Laurence Orchard in Eastwoodbury Lane, Southend on January 23, 2022 from 2pm - 3pm and the Seed potato Day at Growing Together Rochford, on February 12 2022, from 11am - 2pm.

Trust Links has chosen to dedicate a tree to Sir David Amess, which will be planted at the Christmas Fayre by the Southend Mayor.

Matt King, Trust Links CEO, said: “Trust Links believes in supporting both mental health and the environment, and what better way than planting trees at our Growing Together community gardens and community orchard for everyone to enjoy?

"We would love our supporters and members of the public to donate to us to enable us to plant a tree in memory of a loved one, to celebrate the Queen’s jubilee or to help take climate action.

"We look forward to planting these at our community events over the coming weeks and months”.

Visit https://register.enthuse.com/ps/event/PlantATreeForTheJubliee or email fernh@trustlinks.org to find out more.