THE Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Mike Gibbons, paid tribute to a friend as he planted an English oak tree to celebrate his year in office.

Cllr Gibbons said it was an honour to have a tree planted in Heaton Woods, particularly alongside one for former Lord Mayor Stanley King.

“It is a great honour to have an English oak in memory of my year in office,” said Cllr Gibbons. “And it is a great honour to be alongside the others, particularly Stanley King, who was a good friend and a good man.

“This is superb and I hope I live long enough to see it grow a little more.”

Cllr Gibbons was speaking at a tree-planting ceremony on Saturday, surrounded by about 30 people young and old.

The tradition of planting the Lord Mayor’s Tree in Heaton Woods started in the mid-1980s and has continued ever since, with all Lord Mayors in Bradford being patron of the Heaton Woods Trust during their year in office.

The only Lord Mayor not to have a tree planted in his year in office was Mr King, who was a founder member of the Heaton Woods Trust, because of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2000. Mr King died, aged 80, in October 2012.

Cllr Gibbons also praised the work of the trust, saying: “This tree is part of a superb area that is superbly looked after.”

Richard Palframan, chairman of Heaton Woods Trust, handed Cllr Gibbons a cheque to be donated to a charity of the Lord Mayor’s choosing. Each year, the trust makes a donation to the Lord Mayor’s charitable work.

Mr Palframan also talked about the history of the trust and the woods, which are at the end of Aireville Avenue.

He said the trust was formed in 1977 andas an offshoot of Heaton Township Association. The group soon bought 5.5 acres of land, thanks to donations from local residents, and planted more than 4,000 trees.

Mr Palframan added: “The Trust was originally set up to preserve and replant for the benefit of present and future generations. But, due to the hard work of all our past and current volunteers, the Trust is now here to preserve and maintain this landscape for future generations.”