The Lieutenancy Website has details and an update on HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, this note is about preparations for the associated Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) Project.

The Lord Lieutenant has already written about this to many people and organisations in the county and there is clearly a lot of enthusiasm for the idea.

Some key messages are:

• Although the aim is to plant as many trees as possible, the focus is on quality rather than quantity, so there is an emphasis on ensuring best practice in planting and conservation;
• There is also a particular – though not exclusive – focus on urban areas and disadvantaged communities, which have clearly suffered the most through the current pandemic;
• An important aim is to get communities to come together and do something really positive after a very challenging time for everyone.

The project is now in the planning stage for the first planting season, which starts on 1 October, 2021 (the second will start in October 2022).  From that date, an interactive map will be opened up on the QGC website (See below), and anyone, from individuals through to large organisations, who wishes to be a part of the canopy will be able to register, ‘pin’ their tree or trees on the map, and upload a photograph. Templates for QGC plaques with suggested wording and recommended suppliers will be available on the website from September, ready for when the tree planting season begins.

Please spread the word to the best of your ability, especially to smaller organisations, companies and gathering places such as shopping centres and industrial sites and so on, which might well benefit from having a tree or trees planted around them. As this is an environmental initiative, the QGC office have asked people not to rely on paper but to use electronic means of disseminating information instead.  As well as on the QGC website itself: The Queen’s Green Canopy (queensgreencanopy.org)

News and updates may be found at the following social media sites:

Instagram: @queensgreencanopy

Twitter: @qgcanopy

Facebook: @queensgreencanopy

LinkedIn: @queensgreencanopy

 Of particular interest to schools and communities may be the following link to the page of the website that offers Free Trees for Schools and Communities – Woodland Trust