A SEVENTY-four-year-old copper beech tree in Hennock should provide inspiration for the current generation of royalists and nature lovers, according to the Woodland Trust.

The charity is embarking on a programme to have a million trees planted in celebration of the Queen's diamond jubilee year, 2012.

It hopes householders will find space in their gardens or even in a pot on a patio or balcony.

Hennock's copper beech, opposite the Palk Arms, was planted by a Miss Elizabeth Webber (right) in 1937 and a commemorative plaque displayed at its base is still polished frequently.

Many village social events take place under the tree including a royal wedding street party earlier this year.

At the weekend, several of Miss Webber's descendants gathered beneath its bare winter branches to spare a few moments and consider her legacy (far right).

Georgina McLeod, head of the Jubilee Woods project hopes it would be a scene soon replicated elsewhere across Britain.

'The t­rust has taken on the painstaking challenge of digitising the 1937 Royal Record. It is now available online for the very first time for people to search the records and locate trees planted near them, find out if relatives or neighbours planted trees and be inspired to make their mark on history by planting their own garden tree for the Queen's diamond jubilee.

'The online Royal Record has all the great information and detail of the original book even down to the sounds of pages turning, the only thing we couldn't replicate is the amazing old book smell.

'We hope people love being able to see it, and search for trees, it has a very Harry Potter feel to it.

'We hope people will be inspired by the Royal Record to get involved in the Trust's ambitious plan to plant a million garden trees.'