Oxfordshire organisations receive trees from the Tree of Trees
The Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Mrs Marjorie Neasham Glasgow BEM, is delighted to announce that three Oxfordshire organisations have been honoured by Buckingham Palace.
They have each been awarded a tree from the huge “Tree of Trees” sculpture which stood outside Buckingham Palace representing the Queen’s Green Canopy as part of this summer’s national Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The “Tree of Trees” was illuminated by the Queen on the first evening of the Jubilee weekend.
The three Oxfordshire voluntary organisations are;
Flo’s: A Place in the Park is a community owned and run hub in Florence Park, a part of Oxford with high levels of social and economic deprivation. Flo's aims to build better opportunities for the community to work, eat, play, learn and connect with each other, reducing inequalities and supporting the environment.
At Flo’s there is a café, a plastic-free refill shop, a nature-based children’s nursery for 2–4-year-olds, a base for the Isis Community midwives, lots of activities for families, rooms to hire, and events and community impact projects on the themes of Food, Family and Nature. Candida March from Flo’s said “Flo’s is honoured to be awarded one of the 350 trees from the Tree of Trees as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy. Planting and tending for the tree in the Queen's name will be one way to express our values of hope, wellbeing and nature, and to join her desire for communities to work together to combat the climate and biodiversity crisis.”
Rose Hill and Iffley Low Carbon is a community action group in south-east Oxford, which since 2013 has been working to make the area cleaner and greener by promoting renewable energy, energy conservation, waste reduction and tree planting. One of their key ambitions is to make Rose Hill the first zero-carbon estate in the country. Katharine Owen from Rose Hill & Iffley Low Carbon said “Rose Hill and Iffley Low Carbon group is delighted and honoured to have been offered a native tree from the Queen's Green Canopy project, for Rose Hill Recreation Ground, a much-used green space in southeast Oxford, where there is a thriving community centre. Our group of volunteers, with help from Oxford City Council, has planted hundreds of native trees in the Recreation Ground (and a community orchard!) and these trees help combat the climate emergency, increase biodiversity and make the fields look nicer and greener for the benefit of us and future generations.”
Sustainable Didcot is a voluntary community action group for Didcot residents, stimulating interest in the environment, living sustainably and responding to climate change. SD is deeply concerned that while the town is expanding, green spaces in and around the town are shrinking. The group is working to recreate nature-friendly green spaces, including a programme of tree planting in and around the town, and promoting use of the community allotment. With external funding, they undertook a major project to assess energy use in the town, and to help families to identify poorly insulated homes and access advice and help to improve them. They run events such as the ‘repair café’, a freecycle project, and plan to hold a ‘cook out’ in the autumn to promote the cooking of surplus food, particularly aimed at those on lower incomes. Di Chesterman from Sustainable Didcot said “Sustainable Didcot are truly delighted to have been recognised for our environmental work by the awarding of one of the Platinum Jubilee trees. We are honoured to have been chosen to receive a tree which will be a lasting memorial to Her Majesty. We will tend it with care so it may thrive and inspire people to join us in our efforts to sustain our local environment and combat climate change.”
Over 300 organisations across the country are being awarded these special trees in the Queen’s name, each one contained in a large pot embossed with Her Majesty’s cypher.
Each of the Oxfordshire trees will be presented by the Lord-Lieutenant at a ceremony later in the autumn.
Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the QGC “Tree of Trees” sculpture put the importance of trees and nature at the heart of the historic Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The Queen planted over 1,500 trees all over the world throughout her 70-year reign.
The trees have been awarded across the UK, with each county receiving at least one tree. It is hoped that these special trees will raise awareness of the need to plant trees and inspire and encourage people to get involved in tree planting. The award of a tree is a ‘thank you’ for all the valuable and tireless work that volunteers and individuals undertake especially whose efforts counter climate change and restores nature for the benefit of their communities. The also celebrate the diverse communities that come together for the common benefit, often using the natural environment to improve health and wellbeing. The trees become part of the living legacy in honour of Her Majesty, joining over a million trees already planted across the UK as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy.
The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is a UK-wide tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. The project has been extended to the end of the planting season in March 2023, to give people an opportunity to plant trees to honour Her Majesty. Community groups can lead the way in inspiring others around the nation to plant and care for trees during the new tree planting season, between October to March.