A NORTH-EAST museum has planted a tree in memory of the Queen Mother.

Staff at the Bowes Museum, in Barnard Castle, County Durham, held a ceremony in the grounds of the museum, and director Adrian Jenkins helped to plant the tree to mark the Queen Mother's life.

The nation's favourite Royal served as patron of the Friends of the Bowes Museum for more than 30 years, and was a distant relation of the founder of the popular attraction.

She visited the 19th Century museum on three occasions, and donated items of clothing for exhibitions.

The museum is displaying some of the Queen Mother's hats and dresses, as well as pictures taken during her visits to Barnard Castle, the last of which took place in 1992.

Louise Stephenson, communications manager, of the Bowes Museum, said the Queen Mother's death had deeply saddened staff.

She said: "The Queen Mother had a very close connection with the Bowes, and her passing has been profoundly mourned by staff.

"The town of Barnard Castle held a great deal of affection for the Queen Mother, and that has been illustrated with the amount of people who have visited to sign the book of condolences we opened in response to her death."