THE Lord Lieutenant of Essex dug deep to help residents at Mistley's Acorn Village plant a tree as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy scheme.

Residents and staff were helped by Jennifer Tolhurst to plant the tree at the disability charity's 14-acre site in Mistley.

This UK-wide tree planting initiative was created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee and started with a fantastic living sculpture that stood tall as a message of hope, regeneration and optimism to the nation and the world as part of the celebrations.

Acorn Village, which cprovides support for adults with learning disabilities, was nominated to receive one of the trees from the sculpture as a thank you for all the valuable and tireless work that volunteers and individuals undertake for the benefit of their communities.

Residents, staff and volunteers gathered to watch the ceremony and Mrs Tolhurst was presented with a posy during her visit.

Michelle Cook, chief executive said: “We are delighted to be able to plant this wonderful tree on our site which is a beautiful, natural environment aimed to support everyone’s wellbeing.

"We thank Mrs Tolhurst, His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Essex, for helping us to do this.”