GREEN-FINGERED children planted a piece of history in honour of the Queen’s diamond jubilee.

Pupils from St Mary’s and St Catherine’s Catholic Primary Schools planted trees behind Nova Hreod College on Tuesday and Wednesday, which will form part of a 60-acre broadleaf woodland to mark the jubilee.

The woodland, which will see more than 30,000 trees planted by pupils and members of the public across the town, will connect Shaw Forest Park with Mouldon Hill Country Park and Purton Woods, creating the town’s largest continuous woodland of more than 100 hectares.

Clare-Marie Burchall, the headteacher of both St Mary’s and St Catherine’s said: “This is a great opportunity for the pupils of both St Mary’s and St Catherine’s to participate in a truly historic event to mark the Queen’s diamond jubilee.

“These trees will be evidence to future generations of Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 glorious years on the throne of our country and we have been a part of that.

“This makes our school communities very proud.”

The project is being led by the Great Western Community Forest, Swindon Council and the Woodland Trust and will be one of 60 diamond woods being created across the country to mark the jubilee.