SWATHES of ancient woodland and open ground in Keighley are to be renamed in honour of Captain Sir Tom Moore.

The 17 acres of land at Holme House Wood will become Captain Tom’s Memorial Woodland, in tribute to the Keighley-born charity fundraising hero.

And the woods will be extended, with the planting of more than 3,000 hedgerow trees and shrubs – including hawthorn, hazel and field maple.

The scheme will include the installation, near an existing drystone wall, of a semi-circular seat with the inscription 'Tomorrow will be a good day' – the famous motto of Captain Sir Tom, who raised £38 million for NHS charities and captured the nation's hearts when he walked laps of his garden during the first period of lockdown to mark his 100th birthday.

He died in February this year.

His daughter, Lucy Teixeira, welcomed the Woodland Trust project and said she felt hugely proud.

"My father loved nature and it's likely he played at the site as a child," she told the Keighley News.

"Yorkshire has been a big part of my own life too and I feel immensely proud that his legacy will live on through a woodland where back in the day he would have loved to have walked."

Lucy – a homeopath, and a wellbeing advisor with Weleda – said she very much believed in the power of nature to boost people's health and that the woodland would provide a place where everybody could go to remember a loved one and engage with the environment.

She added: "This is a wonderful fitting tribute to my father and his love of nature.

"I am a passionate supporter of tree planting and this wood gives us hope for a greener future with nature at the core of all our thinking."

Small pockets of individual trees will be planted across three meadows to retain key areas of open space and existing views at the site – which is on the banks of the North Beck between Laycock and Goose Eye, near Captain Sir Tom’s childhood home.

Denser areas of tree planting will be carried out to buffer and protect the existing woodland, which was acquired by the Woodland Trust in 1991.

Species to be planted in Captain Tom’s Memorial Woodland include oak, rowan, alder, hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, field maple, crab apple, dog rose and guelder rose – and the site will be plastic free.

The wood is a site of special interest because of its rich ground flora. There are displays of bluebells in spring and bird species such as sparrowhawk, great spotted woodpecker and kingfisher can be spotted there.

Site manager Alistair Nash, from the Woodland Trust, said: "It’s an honour to rename and extend this beautiful site in tribute to a great Yorkshireman.

"Sir Tom was concerned about what the future holds for his grandchildren and the negative impact we are having on our planet. We hope this wood will be a fitting memorial to him and will inspire people from across the UK to protect and cherish the natural environment, whist enjoying all the splendour this site has to offer."

The scheme is welcomed by Keighley's town mayor, Councillor Julie Adams.

She said: "I'm all for tree planting and I think it's a lovely way to remember a really special man."

The woodland falls within the White Rose Forest – part of the Northern Forest, where the trust and partners plan to plant over 50 million trees between Hull and Liverpool.

Planting and other works at the site will begin in March and are expected to be complete by next autumn.