Discover a forgotten treasure and make your mark on history
The first tree planting season of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee year is about to begin and the Woodland Trust hopes that a million people will plant a tree for the Jubilee in their garden, or in a pot on a patio.
And it’s not the first time that the UK has celebrated a Royal occasion by nationwide tree planting. The Trust has uncovered a forgotten treasure, the Royal Record of King George VI’s Coronation. This incredible record details all tree planting undertaken by thousands of schools, parishes, organisations and homeowners in 1936/7, in gardens, parks and public spaces. It even names the individuals across the UK and the world who planted the trees.
Georgina McLeod, head of the Jubilee Woods project, said: “The Trust has taken on the painstaking challenge of digitising the 1937 Royal Record. It is now available online for the very first time for people to search the records and locate trees planted near them, and be inspired to make their mark on history by planting their own garden tree for The Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The online Royal Record has all the great information and detail of the original book even down to the sounds of pages turning, the only thing we couldn’t replicate is the amazing old book smell! We hope people love being able to see it, and search for trees, it has a very Harry Potter feel to it.”
There are 21.6 million homes in the UK with gardens, and many more with courtyards and balconies. The Trust's vision is of 1 million people planting a tree for the Jubilee, in their garden, or in a pot on their patio or balcony. If whole streets decided to do this together, what a difference that would make to people and wildlife! Trees planted in adjacent gardens can bring many of the benefits of creating new woodland.
2012 marks the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and throughout this historic 60th anniversary year the Woodland Trust’s Jubilee Woods project aims to plant 6 million trees involving millions of people; landowners, communities, schools and individuals at home, improving the environment for people and wildlife. The year will include a mass tree planting in February, the anniversary of the accession to the throne.
Georgina McLeod continued: “We hope people will be inspired by the Royal Record to get involved. You can be part of this nationwide transformation by visiting jubileewoods.org.uk and pledging to plant a tree. We can help you choose and purchase your tree and once it's planted you can add your story, including pictures and memories to the new Royal Record - history in the making! The Record will be preserved online and a copy will be presented to The Queen herself. Who knows, maybe loved ones will be inspired by your story in another 75 years.”
Free Jubilee tree packs are also available for communities and schools to plant in local areas and school grounds at www.jubileewoods.org.uk
Notes to editors
For media enquiries contact:
Kaye Coates at the Woodland Trust’s Bangor Office on 028 9127 5787; email kayecoates@woodlandtrust.org.uk or
The Woodland Trust Press Office on 01476 581121; email media@woodlandtrust.org.uk
The Woodland Trust:
The Woodland Trust is the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity. It has 300,000 members and supporters.
The Trust has three key aims: i) to enable the creation of more native woods and places rich in trees ii) to protect native woods, trees and their wildlife for the future iii) to inspire everyone to enjoy and value woods and trees
Established in 1972, the Woodland Trust now has over 1,000 sites in its care covering approximately 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres). Access to its sites is free.
Here in Northern Ireland the Woodland Trust cares for 51 woods. These woods contain a mix of recently planted woodland, mature woodland and ancient woodland (that’s land continuously wooded since at least 1600). We have recently produced the first-ever comprehensive record of Northern Ireland’s ancient woodland; find out more at www.backonthemap.org.uk