ENVIRONMENTALLY-minded villagers at Urchfont, near Devizes, enjoyed better weather than usual for a mammoth tree and hedge planting session.

Some 25 volunteers planted an avenue of 80 trees along the unclassified road between Lydeway Garage and Foxley Corner on land belonging to Brian and Diz Plank.

In addition, 518 metres of hedging was planted last week on land belonging to the Planks, to David Lanfear at Little Crookwood Farm, and at Knights Leaze Farm, where Martin and Edward Bodman farm.

It is the latest in a number of initiatives in the Urchfont area which has seen 1,000 trees planted on land beside Oakfrith Wood, and hundreds of daffodils planted on grass verges throughout the village.

The latest work is the idea of the Green Land Project, a group of villagers who felt something had to be done to encourage bio-diversity in the countryside.

One of the group, boat builder Phil Milanes, said: "Of particular concern was the decline in species such as songbirds, plovers, skylarks and corn buntings as well as insects and small mammals. The reversal of this trend could only be achieved by planting hedges, trees and constructing areas such as beetle banks and ponds."