THOUSANDS of trees are set to be planted in York over the coming 12 months -one for every child born.

City of York Council has joined forces with the Rotary Club of York to launch a new scheme to plant trees on land owned by York St John University and Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust in Haxby Road.

Every parent registering the birth of their child through York Register Office will be offered the chance to get involved in the scheme at no cost to them.

Parents will be asked to send their baby/babies' names to a dedicated rotary website www.yorkrotary.cvo.uk/tree-partnership and a tree will be planted to commemorate their arrival at an appropriate time.

About 3,000 children are born in York each year and it’s hoped the majority of parents will want to get involved.

The project is supported by various organisations including York Treemendous, The Woodland Trust, Brunswick Nurseries and York Cares.