You can help reduce your carbon footprint by taking up an offer to plant free trees.

Kent free trees scheme offers up to 25 saplings for individual people or organisations in west and mid Kent. All you have to do is collect the trees, plant them and care for them as they grow.

Trees help combat global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. By planting 25 trees, up to seven tonnes of CO2 could be absorbed during their lifetime – equivalent to almost a year’s emissions from the average home.

The saplings are very young and typically less than a metre tall so they will easily fit in the boot of your car. They are all species native to Kent so you can be sure of supporting local growers.

Nearly 9,000 trees were given out last year. The scheme is available this year to residents of Tunbridge Wells, as well as residents in Maidstone, Canterbury, Swale, Thanet and Tonbridge and Malling.