As world leaders meet in Glasgow for COP26,  a Gloucestershire hospice and parish council have come together to inspire action on climate change in their own community.

Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice and Leckhampton and Warden Hill Parish Council have joined forces to plant 100 trees on the Global Day of Climate Action on Saturday 6th November - an international day of action encouraging people right across the world to unite to deliver solutions to the climate crisis.

The trees - which are being supplied by Cheltenham Tree Group - will be planted in Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice's Dog Kennel Wood in ground which has been especially prepared by hospice volunteers and Hospice head gardener David Bills over the past month.

Ten types of tree will feature suitable for the damp ground of the wood including hawthorn, blackthorn, crab, dogwood, field maple and silver birch.

It is hoped when the trees grow and mature they will help combat global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide, removing and storing carbon while releasing oxygen back into the air.

Kit Braunholtz is a member of the Climate Action Group on Leckhampton and Warden Hill Parish Council. He said, "As a parish council we wanted to do something to mark the UN Climate Change Conference taking place in Glasgow in November, so we agreed to fund the planting of 100 trees in our local community."

The parish council identified Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice as the best location locally to plant the new trees, and the charity was only too happy to take part in the environmentally-friendly initiative.

"The Cheltenham Tree Group supplies saplings to local people and organisations who want to contribute to reducing global warming by planting trees," Kit added. "We got in touch with them and they suggested we pick up the trees and plant them on Saturday 6th November, which - by sheer luck - turns out to be the Global Day of Climate Action, which is rather appropriate.

"It might seem like a small contribution, planting 100 trees when faced with the sheer scale and enormity of what the world is facing, but it is a significant contribution. If we all do something and act quickly together we can make a difference. If we do nothing, we are betraying future generations - who will not thank us!"

Local residents wanting to get involved in taking action on climate change are being encouraged to do so. "The parish council is asking people for their ideas on what more we can do," added Kit. "Climate change is very much in the forefront of people's minds and here in Leckhampton and Warden Hill we're very community minded and there is a lot of great community spirit. We have a very active Climate Action Group at the parish council, and we'd love to hear people's ideas.

"Local residents who are happy to get their hands and boots a little muddy are warmly invited to volunteer to help us collect and plant the trees on 6th November too. This will involve digging up the trees, taking them to Dog Kennel Wood and planting them."

The tree planting is not the only action the parish council has planned. "Other actions we are planning in support of stopping global warming include installing environmentally friendly improvements to a local children's centre, with permission from trustees. We're also sharing several ideas for climate-saving action with local residents and urging them to take what actions they can too in their own homes or gardens."

Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice was happy to provide a home for the new trees as part of the environmentally-friendly local community initiative.

Service director Elise Hoadley said: "Our hospice is very much a part of the local community and it's a community we're very lucky to have had the support of for many years.

"When the parish council got in touch to ask if we could be part of this we were only too pleased to provide a home to the 100 trees. Not only are we giving something back to our local community, but we're playing our part in helping to take action on climate change too, which is vitally important."

Kit added, "We'd like to share our thanks to Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice and to hospice head gardener, David Bills, for their support of our action on climate change and Cheltenham Tree Group for supplying our new trees. We'd like to encourage anyone who would like to get involved with taking any other action on climate change in Leckhampton and Warden Hill to get in touch by contacting the parish council through the parish clerk."

At least ten volunteers are needed to support the tree planting on Saturday 6th November. For details email clerk@leckhamptonwithwardenhill-pc.gov.uk

For more information on Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice visit www.sueryder.org/leckhampton