Memorial trees and plaques will be planted after a regional daily’s successful appeal which saw more than 200,000 pennies handed in to its office.

The Burton Mail’s Pennies for our Heroes campaign raised £2,000 for the memorials, which will be installed in honour of fallen soldiers from its patch.

The campaign, which began when the Mail was relaunched in April, saw the newspaper call upon its readers to donate their small change to the cause.

The campaign’s success was announced on Tuesday’s front page, pictured below.

Thanking the paper’s readers, editor Emma Turton said: “The response to the Mail’s campaign has been phenomenal. We have collected far more than we ever expected at the outset, proving, once again, how generous the people of Burton and South Derbyshire are.

“Now we come to the exciting part; ordering the trees and plaques and arranging for their delivery and planting in locations across the area.

“We are now so close to achieving what we set out to – providing living memorials to honour our heroes, past present and future – and all thanks to the generosity of the Mail’s readers.”

The appeal is also among six nominees in the Campaign of the Year category for next month’s Midlands Media Awards.

At least 12 trees will be planted across Burton upon Trent and South Derbyshire with the funds.

Colin Whittaker, deputy leader of cultural services at East Staffordshire Borough Council, said: “The council is delighted to support the Pennies for our Heroes campaign, which has raised a significant amount of money for an important cause.

“We look forward to speaking with the Burton Mail to confirm the locations for the trees, which will be a great memorial to the people who have lost their lives serving in the armed forces.”