A TOTAL of 50,000 trees have been planted in Solihull to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Launched in May 2021, the scheme saw children and adults alike donning boots and wielding spades to plant trees to form the Queen’s Green Canopy across the borough.
Following the death of the Queen in September the scheme was extended to include the full tree planting season as a lasting tribute to her extraordinary service to her country and her people.
While the Jubilee project has come to an end, the Queen’s Green Canopy announced it will fund the planting of a specimen tree in the West Midlands as part of a programme which will see plantings in each of the 98 lieutenancies across the UK later this year, to mark the coronation of King Charles III.
Sir John Crabtree, the Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands, said: “I know that the Royal Family has been touched by the warmth shown by all those who have participated in the planting of the Queen’s Green Canopy.
“I want to thank the thousands of volunteers of all ages who have shown such remarkable support for this great initiative and who have turned out in their droves in both good and bad weather to mark Her Majesty’s great achievements and commitment to service.
“The Queen’s Green Canopy has not only been a celebration of the late Queen’s service to the nation but has further raised the important role of trees in the urban environment and has created an ambition that will continue in the years to come.”
Figures released to date show that 13,000 trees were planted in Birmingham, 38,300 in Coventry, 50,000 in Solihull, 42,500 in Walsall and 36,000 in Wolverhampton.
West Midlands Lieutenancy also coordinated the distribution in the West Midlands of 12-trees that originally formed part of the 21-metre/70-ft tall Tree of Trees designed by Thomas Heatherwick and which stood outside Buckingham Palace for the Platinum Jubilee.
The Tree of Trees played a starring role when it was illuminated as the principal Platinum Jubilee beacon and consisted of 80 steel “branches” holding 350 native trees in aluminium pots bearing the Queen’s cipher.
