THE owner of a popular venue near Whitchurch has taken on the challenge of the Queen's Green Canopy with hundreds of trees to be planted at Combermere Abbey.

There will be 889 trees planted to commemorate the number of years since the Abbey was established in 1133 plus celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and enhancing the existing centuries-old woodland on the estate.

The trees will add to the natural environment of the estate with its 1050 acres of historic parkland, ancient woodland and large mere that already surround the abbey.

The planting, which specifically creates a new area of broadleaf planting, is part of the restoration of ancient woodland and will be identified by a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion.

The first of the trees, a quercus robur oak which is synonymous with ancient woodland, was planted on Tuesday, April 5 by the Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, Lady Redmond and abbey owner Sarah Callander Beckett.

The former admitted her delight in taking part.

She said: "I was delighted to be asked to plant the inaugural tree of so many planned for Combermere Abbey.

"It’s a great project.

"These trees will not only add to the natural beauty of our county, but form part of an important sustainable legacy to celebrate the Queen’s remarkable 70 years of service, bringing fantastic environmental benefits to our communities."

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Sarah added: “Combermere Abbey is a truly unique environment representing centuries of English history and our trees form an important part of it.

"I have always had the utmost respect and admiration for Her Majesty so it felt absolutely right to honour her remarkable reign in some way, and the Green Canopy presented us with the perfect opportunity to do so.”

Meanwhile, the much-loved bluebell walks will be open to the public will be running over a number of days.

The walks will run from Saturday, April 23 to Saturday, May 21, at 10am and 1pm every Saturday and Sunday starting from Parkview Business Centre.

The newly-planted tree will be visible to walkers on the route.

There are public tours open of the wedding venue until Thursday, July 7.

Bookings can be made online via the Combermere Abbey website in advance – for more, head to https://combermereabbey.co.uk/ and search for available events and tours.