St Albans scouts have been making an effort to tackle the climate crisis.

More than 450 Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, family members and residents from across the district planted over 3,000 trees around the banks of Willows Lakes - between the M25 and A1.

This was the third round of tree planting organised by Ian Burnett from the 1st London Colney Scout Group, and took place before the coronavirus lockdown.

Around 5,000 trees have been planted at Willows Lakes since the project started a year ago.

Planting trees is one of the biggest and cheapest ways of taking CO2 out of the atmosphere to tackle the climate crisis, according to scientists.

As trees grow, they absorb and store the carbon dioxide emissions that are driving global heating.

The 3,000 Woodland Trust trees were ordered and planted by nine Scout groups.

The day started just before 11am and was originally planned as a four-hour event, with fellow scouts attending in the afternoon.

“What was thought of being a mammoth task was in fact completed in just under two hours by the army of Scouting volunteers who came in the morning.

Scout leader Ian said: “I was totally overwhelmed by the turnout.

“I can’t believe we managed to plant all the trees so quickly.

“This is a true testament to the power of Scouting and the great work they can do in our community and for our planet.”

A commemorative plaque was also placed by the newly planted trees to mark this phase of the project and to acknowledge the efforts of the Scouts of St Albans.

Ian said that one of the Scout Association values is to take care of the world and make a positive difference.

The Woodland Trust has planted more than 43 million trees since 1972, and works closely with communities consulting on large-scale projects to convert land to woods.

The trust sees new woodland planting as one of the three main aims for forestry in the UK – along with protection of existing sites, restoration of degraded woodland, and creation of new forests.