LITTLEPORT residents, young and old, dug deep this week to create a new village woodland.

Pupils from Littleport Community Primary School took up their spades to plant hundreds of native trees while helping to make over an area of land to the west of Littleport’s centre.

The budding young gardeners were joined by councillors and residents of Sanctuary Hereward – which donated the 300 saplings and the acre of land.

Eamonn Dillon, regional director for Sanctuary – which manages some 400 properties in Littleport – said: “It was good to see so many local people get together to help create what will soon become a thriving woodland for all to enjoy.

“Planting Parishes is a wonderful initiative which will hugely benefit the community and the environment – we are pleased to have been able to show our support.”

The event was held as part of the Planting Parishes project, a joint initiative between East Cambridgeshire District Council and the Woodland Trust. Set up to create woodland areas for community use and to reduce carbon emissions, the initiative is helping to transform pockets of land around East Cambridgeshire.

Cllr Tony Parramint, vice-chairman of ECDC, said: “When we launched Planting Parishes, we had a tremendous response from the public, who helped plant 500 trees in the People’s Wood at the Country Park in Ely. The event here in Littleport was equally as inspiring.”

Edwina Halls, environmental co-ordinator with Littleport Community Primary School, said: “We feel privileged to have been invited to take part in this project. We look forward to visiting the woodland in the years to come and watch the trees we have planted grow into an area for the whole community of Littleport to enjoy.”