TWO memorial trees will be planted in Tavistock's Meadows tomorrow (Friday), in a special ceremony attended by town mayor Cllr Anne Johnson.

A semi-mature copper beech will be planted to mark the 100th anniversary of the town council taking over custodianship of the Meadows from the Duke of Bedford.

The council's works administrator James Clapp said: 'When the Duke of Bedford built the new town centre, with the town hall and pannier market etc, he wanted all the entrances and exits to the town lined with copper beeches, which would have looked very grand.

'The best remaining ones are by the cemetery, but this is the reason why we chose a copper beech to mark the 100th anniversary.'

The other tree being planted by the council is a Japanese Snowbell, in memory of former town mayor John Warne, who died earlier this year.

Mr Clapp said: 'The Meadows is a park setting, not a native woodland, where you tend to plant specimen trees. The Japanese Snowbell is quite a stunning tree which has white, bell-shaped flowers, which should look really nice.'

These two memorial trees will be planted at 11am and 11.20am, fairly near the bandstand in the Meadows.

The council's works department is also planting several other trees around the town, including some in Dolvin Road Cemetery, where others have had to be taken down due to their poor condition.

A feathered Scots pine and two Scarlet Paul hawthorns will be planted there, the latter featuring attractive crimson blossoms.