Autumnwatch

Ancient trees are living relics that have helped shape our history, and will help shape our future if we let them.

Now with your help, the Woodland Trust's Ancient Tree Hunt hopes to reveal more of their secrets.

The UK has thousands of ancient trees

Anyone from children to adults can take part in the survey and in the process help safeguard these very British treasures.

It may be a tree in your local park or one you pass every day on your way to work.

It's simple to get involved, just find your tree and hug it! The fatter it is, the older it is.

You need to look out for trees that are so big that it would take you and at least two or more friends to hug all the way around, finger tip to finger tip.

Victoria Graham, from the BBC Spotlight programme, has been down to the woods at Plympton to find out how it's done.

The Ancient Tree Hunt began in 2004 and has already collected more than 6,000 records.

Now the survey is being expanded and by 2011 it's hoped the details of more than 100,000 of the UK's oldest trees will have been mapped.

You can record your findings by visiting the Ancient Tree Hunt website: