Hundreds of trees planted in Devon by city children

More than 100 trees have been planted on a farm in Devon to help children reconnect with nature.

A charity founded by children's author Michael Morpurgo and his wife Claire is part of the initiative.

Trees and shrubs have been planted in fenced off circles, known as roundels, by children from schools across the country.

Mr Morpurgo said it would help children understand the "precious connection between us and the world about us".

The Woodland Trust is a woodland conservation charity which aims to create, protect and restore native woodland heritage.

The roundels are temporary enclosures that contain trees and shrubs. As they grow they will provide shelter and food for cattle.

They are created around a central tree, which will effectively create substantial habitat in the space the tree will eventually occupy in 75 to 100 years.

Planting started at Nethercott Farm, near Winkleigh, in January.

Riley, 10, from Walsall, Birmingham is one of the pupils who has been helping to plant trees.

He said: "If you want to do something like this you've got to get a little bit muddy. You can't expect to be clean!"

Each roundel will be adopted, planted and cared for by a visiting school, and the hope is the children will feel connected to a piece of natural habitat of their own making.

Adam Bratt, operations manager at the farm, said: "It'll be great to come back next year, five years, 10 years, and some of these children will. They'll come back and they'll see their trees."

Mr Morpurgo, who wrote books such as War Horse and Kensuke's Kingdom, said: "Many of the 100,000 city children who have come for a week of farming, of living in the countryside, have felt for the first time that precious connection between us and the world about us. Once felt it is never forgotten. A seed is planted."

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