A tree, an award, a very special legacy

The Queen’s Green Canopy was established to mark the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, and the planting of over a million trees so far are a lasting legacy to the Queen. The initiative is now being extended to the end of March 2023 in her memory.

The Tree of Trees sculpture outside Buckingham Palace © The Queen’s Green Canopy

The 21 metre Tree of Trees sculpture designed by Thomas Heatherwick and erected outside Buckingham Palace in June was a fitting centrepiece at the heart of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. It comprised 350 individual trees set in specially designed aluminium pots.

Those 350 trees are now being distributed to organisations and groups ‘who make a positive and measurable impact on their communities’, as chosen by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenants across the country. 18 of them were gifted to groups in Greater London.

And one of those trees has come to Teddington! While we discuss with the Council where it will be planted, it’s currently in temporary lodgings in the back garden of Cathy Cooper, volunteer, photographer, and garden enthusiast.

Cathy takes up the story:

“Sarah, Mahmoud and I didn’t know what to expect when asked by Natalie to pick up a tree from the Royal Hospital, Chelsea on October 3rd.

Sarah Meagher, PLS volunteer and animal therapist; Mahmoud Al Naffakh, PLS volunteer and carriage driver; Cathy Cooper, PLS volunteer and photographer; Sir Kenneth Olisa, Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, and a Chelsea pensioner © The Queen’s Green Canopy

We were greeted by Gillian Norton OBE, Vice Lieutenant for the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames and found out that it was Gillian who proposed that Park Lane Stables should get this award.

In the courtyard were 18 young trees in aluminium pots bearing the Queen’s cypher, all numbered. And ours was number 1!  As we stood by our tree, people came up to us and asked about the stables. We felt very proud to be representing Park Lane Stables RDA on such an auspicious occasion.

Once all the guests had arrived, Sir Kenneth Olisa, the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, gave a speech and then presented each group with a thank you letter from the late Queen and care instructions for the trees. 

We were also given a tree map to fill in once it is planted which will become part of the lasting record of the Queen’s Green Canopy.

Sir Kenneth was very friendly to us and knows all about the stables. We tried to convince him to come for a ride one day or even just sit on a horse in his uniform (I’m a photographer, after all…).

During the ceremony, we were joined by some of the Chelsea Pensioners who live here, resplendently dressed in their bright red uniforms with brass buttons and an array of medals.

At the end, we managed to get the tree into the whole length of Sarah’s car and drove it back to Twickenham where it now has pride of place in my garden until its home in Teddington can be confirmed.


We feel so honoured to have been part of this tree gifting ceremony and hope our Silver Birch grows to full maturity and will always be a symbol of Park Lane Stables’ role in the community.”

 

Watch the story behind the Tree of Trees sculpture created for the Queen’s Green Canopy.

We’ll share news of where this special tree will be planted as soon as we know. Follow us on social media to find out as soon as we do.