Children from a Barrhead school have helped to plant hundreds of trees as part of an effort by East Renfrewshire Council to tackle climate change.

The Carlibar Primary pupils joined staff from environmental charity Trees for Cities to place 542 saplings across the Dunterlie area of town.

Representatives from local businesses and Boys' Brigade groups also grabbed spades to get the trees in the ground.

East Renfrewshire is one of eight councils across Glasgow City Region which have signed an agreement with the Clyde Climate Forest (CCF) project to help plant 18 million trees by 2031.

This will involve connecting existing woodlands, planting new forests and targeting urban tree plantings in areas that are vulnerable to climate impacts.

The CCF was launched in June 2021 and, since then, has overseen the planting of more than 1.2 million trees.

Council chiefs have pledged to embed CCF targets into their own plans and policies, helping to boost the authority's own 'net zero' ambitions at the same time.

“We are committed to tackling climate change across the area and signing this agreement with the Clyde Climate Forest signals our real intent," said council leader Owen O’Donnell, who joined the community planting event in Dunterlie.

"I was delighted to have the opportunity to plant a number of trees and look forward to seeing this community woodland develop in the years ahead.

"As well as creating a fantastic new space for nature within Dunterlie, this initiative will contribute to our ambitions to reduce our carbon emissions as we target net zero by 2045.”

Max Hislop, CFF director, added: “I am delighted that East Renfrewshire Council has committed to our tree planting programme by signing our concordat agreement.

"Tree planting is crucial if we are to tackle both the climate and biodiversity emergencies.

"Community woodlands and trees bring many benefits to urban neighbourhoods. They help soak up excess rainwater in heavy downpours, create cooling effects in heatwaves and provide vital carbon storage and wildlife habitat.

"We plan to work with multiple local communities across 2023 with an aim to plant up to 1,000 trees in each of our target neighbourhoods as part of our ‘1000 Trees’ campaign.”

For more information about the project, visit www.clydeclimateforest.co.uk.