School honoured in platinum jubilee tree planting initiative
Friday 18th November 2022One of our diocesan schools is celebrating a wonderful honour after being named the only school in Lancashire to receive a special tree from the beautiful Tree of Trees.
The Tree of Trees was a magnificent 70ft sculpture made up of 350 trees that was erected outside Buckingham Palace during the platinum jubilee celebrations.
It was part of The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative – a tree-planting project that was created to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and pay tribute to her remarkable service.
The trees have been gifted to charities, community groups, and public organisations right across the country, to say “thank you” to all who work tirelessly for their communities, to inspire others to plant trees of their own, and to create a living, lasting legacy of Her Late Majesty.
More than a million trees have already been planted as part of the initiative, with a further 300 organisations receiving trees from the Tree of Trees itself.
Thorneyholme RC Primary School in Dunsop Bridge was one of the recipients and the only school in Lancashire to have received one of these special trees.
A letter from the Lancashire Lieutenancy explained more about how the school’s community spirit and determination to build a greener world made them the proud recipients of the rowan tree.
It read: “We are pleased to gift this special tree set in a pot embossed with Her Majesty’s cypher to your organisation in recognition of the vital contribution that you make to your community, and as a symbol of a greener environment for the future in the United Kingdom.”
On Monday 14th November, the school invited our very own Vicar General Father Peter Hopkinson to attend a special planting ceremony with a number of other dignitaries.
These included the High Sheriff of Lancashire Martin Ainscough, the Mayor of Ribble Valley Cllr Stuart Hirst, the Mayor of Burnley Cllr Cosima Towneley, Peregrine Towneley (the Towneley family built the school and parish church in the 1860s), the Estates Director of the Duchy of Lancaster Laura Airton, and parish priest Canon Paul Brindle.
Some of the younger members of the school made tree crafts and wrote on them their thoughts on the importance of trees in our world, while some of the older pupils wrote a poem called The Tree of Life.
Olga Jackson, headteacher of Thorneyholme RC Primary School, was delighted to have received the tree and to be part of this wonderful initiative in a truly momentous year.
She said: “We miss Queen Elizabeth II dearly and we are all truly touched to be able to remember her with one of the Tree of Trees, which stood tall on the living sculpture outside Buckingham Palace over the weekend of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June this year.
“Its purpose to give the message of hope, regeneration and optimism to our nation and the world. For us at school, it is a symbol of Pope Francis’ message in Laudato Si’.”
Tagged | Around the Diocese | Education | Environment | Pope Francis | Schools | Society | Youth
