Pupils from a primary school on royal land have planted a ‘very special’ tree in memory of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Thorneyholme RC Primary School in Dunsop Bridge took delivery of one of the 350 trees which formed the spectacular Tree of Trees, which was such a prominent feature of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Staff and pupils joined local dignitaries to plant the rowan tree in the school grounds – a poignant reminder of Her Majesty’s connection to the Forest of Bowland – much of which is owned by the Monarch via the Duchy of Lancaster’s estate.

The tree becomes part of the living legacy in honour of the Queen, who died in September, joining more than a million trees already planted across the UK as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy.

The tree was presented to the school by High Sherriff of Lancashire Martin Ainscough, with the Mayors of Burnley and Ribble Valley Councillor Cosima Towneley and Councillor Stuart Hirst in attendance.

To mark this very special occasion, the infant children made tree crafts and reflected on the importance of trees.

The juniors wrote a poem called: ‘The Tree of Life’ – inspired by the story ‘What Did the Tree See?’, written by Charlotte Guillain and illustrated by Sam Usher.

Headteacher Olga Jackson said: “We miss Queen Elizabeth II dearly and we are all truly touched to be able to remember her with one of the saplings from the Tree of Trees, which stood tall on the living sculpture outside Buckingham Palace over the weekend of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

"Its purpose is to give the message of hope, regeneration and optimism to our nation and the world.”