A third of the National Forest is made of new trees

It is to be part of an extention to National Forest development which stretches across Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire.

Rawdon Colliery near Swadlincote is to be transformed into a 1,000 acre wooded park, a move announced as the forest celebrated its 10th anniversaty.

The park will create 270 jobs in an area which faced an uncertain future after the collapse of mining.

'Quality environment'

Speaking from Conkers, the forest's headquarters, the National Forest Company' s chief executive Martin Ballantyne said: "Conkers itself is continuing to expand because you have to year on year.

"But, around Conkers, we're going to create a 1,000 acre forest park and this is a 20-year plan and it's going to involve watersports, a youth hostel, a camp site and lots of trails for people to walk, cycle and ride.

"We're trying to create somewhere where there's a mixture of facilities which generate income to provide the quality environment that people can come and exercise in and have fun."

The forest now stretches 200 square miles from Leicester in the south to past Burton-Upon-Trent in the north.