Trees and bulbs are being offered to groups, schools, colleges and charities.

Braintree District Council is offering the tree whips and bulbs to improve biodiversity and green spaces and increase the planting of trees and bulbs to help protect the natural environment.

They hope this will in turn deliver benefits to help tackle climate change, as well as having a positive impact on the wellbeing of residents.

The council is investing £30,000 in the project for 18,600 native trees and 73,000 bulbs.

Planting packages will have tree whips such as Field Maple, Hazel and Hawthorn and bulbs including Daffodils, English Bluebells and Crocus, to encourage biodiversity and pollinators.

Participants need to apply online before Friday, October 29.

The items will be available from November onwards and groups are expected to have planted the whips by December this year and the bulbs by March 2022.

In feedback from the draft climate change strategy public engagement which took place in the summer, the public said that access to green open spaces and the importance of trees and flowers made the district a good place to live.

Cllr Wendy Schmitt, cabinet member for Environment at Braintree District Council said: “This project is another great opportunity to involve the community as a whole.

"It will help protect our natural environment with more trees to capture and store carbon and bring colourful floral displays to enhance local areas.

"I would like to encourage all who may be eligible to seize this chance and take up the offer of the tree whips and bulbs we have available to plant in their own communities.”

See https://www.braintree.gov.uk/treesandbulbs2021

The community tree planting will also contribute towards Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee through the Queen’s Green Canopy project called ‘Plant a tree for the Jubilee’.

From November, add your Jubilee tree to The Queen's Green Canopy map at www.queensgreencanopy.org