Over 20 real Christmas trees have been planted across Hounslow in a festive initiative to make the borough more green.

Over the past few weeks, Hounslow Council has been planting real firs, spruces and pine trees in every ward of the borough.

The hope is that the young trees will become focal points for local people, not just at Christmas but throughout the year.

Residents will be encouraged to chart their progress and take an active role in nurturing the young trees.

The fun starts this week (Monday, 13 December) when residents will be encouraged to break out the baubles and decorate their real community tree.

Hounslow Council's Cabinet Member for Leisure Services, Cllr Samia Chaudhary, said: "We want people to take ownership of these trees and make them a part of their local community.

"The Council and its partners are committed to making our borough as green as we possibly can.

"To further support this, we have launched a scheme to give away 500 trees to residents to plant in their gardens and it has proved to be a real success.

"We know that some people have already been out decorating the trees and we want to see them all looking fabulous over the festive holidays."

Hounslow Greentalk has included the trees in an interactive map, which gives the location of all trees and how to plan a walk around them.

Hounslow Council recently pledged to give away 500 trees to residents in another initiative to combat climate change.

Hounslow Council's Cabinet Member for Communities and Climate Emergency, Cllr Katherine Dunne, said: "We want everyone in our borough to enjoy the festive season and what better way to do this than by taking an active role in decorating and caring for your community tree?

"As a borough, we have set ambitious targets to make Hounslow greener and more environmentally sustainable for future generations.

"By planting these trees within our communities, we hope to help residents connect with nature, right on their doorsteps. We're looking forward to seeing the trees in their fully-decorated splendour over Christmas and watching them grow and develop throughout the years."

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