AUTHOR Philip Pullman will plant trees in Oxford tomorrow to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Mr Pullman, who lives in Cumnor, will plant six English Oaks, one for each decade of the Queen’s reign, on land alongside Marston Ferry Road at 2.30pm.

It will be exactly 75 years to the hour since the trust planted trees in Sunderland Avenue, North Oxford, to mark the coronation of King George VI. The avenue trees feature in Mr Pullman’s best-selling trilogy His Dark Materials.

Oxford Preservation Trust (OPT) director Debbie Dance said: “We are delighted that Philip Pullman was inspired by our trees in Sunderland Avenue. With his strong links to the city, and his love of trees, we cannot think of anyone more fitting to do this for us.”

Tomrrow’s tree planting has been funded by donations from OPT trustees and former trustees, local Marston members, and land agents Savills.