Queen's tree planted in Harnham Water Meadows

Monday, 14 November 2022 00:00

This morning (14th November), the Lord Lieutenant for Wiltshire, planted one of the trees from The Queens's Green Canopy (QGC) at Harnham Water Meadows.

The Tree of Trees was a sculpture, designed by Thomas Heatherwick, that stood outside Buckingham Palace to celebrate the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The Harnham Water Meadow Trust was one of three recipients of the trees in Wiltshire, and the trustees see it as a huge honour.

Gabrielle Edwards, Chair of the trust, said: "It's a huge honour for us. What is particularly pleasing is that it is a multi-stemmed Alnus glutinous (Alder), which is ideal for the water meadows."

Trustees and Lord Lieutenant Mrs Troughton with the tree at Harnham Water Meadows

The tree has been placed by the river near Rose Cottage, just off Town Path, so it doesn't block any views or interfere with any other aspect of the meadows.

Once it has developed and grown, it will be clearly visible from Town Path.

Lord Lieutenant Mrs Sarah Troughton said, "It's a real pleasure to be here. It was my Deputy Lieutenant, Peter Pleydell-Bourvrie, who suggested Harnham Water meadows. The aim of the trees being gifted was one of hope and optimism and that's what this tree, I hope, will represent.

She continued, "Thank you all so much for the work that you do here, the trustees and the volunteers who keep this beautiful place as natural and unchanged as it has been for centuries."

Wiltshire's other trees were gifted to The John of Gaunt School in Trowbridge and Swindon Vacinnation Volunteers.

Volunteers joined Mrs Sarah Troughton at the planting ceremony this morning.

The tree now sits on the 84-acre site of Special Scientific Interest which is maintained by the Harnham Water Meadow Trust. The meadows sit on either side of Town Path. All of the maintenance work is carried out by a group of volunteers who also promote the meadows and conserve the natural diversity of wildlife.

The trees honour Her Late Majesty, joining over a million trees already planted across the UK as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy.

This is one of more than 300 organisations from across the UK that were recently announced by the QGC as recipients in The Queen’s name, which are gifted in a pot embossed with Her late Majesty’s cypher.

To find out more about the trust, visit their website - https://www.salisburywatermeadows.org.uk/

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