The Worshipful Mayor of Barnet, Cllr Alison Cornelius, has planted a small oak tree in Hendon’s Sunny Hill Park ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in February 2022.
The Worshipful Mayor of Barnet, Cllr Alison Cornelius, plants a small oak tree in Hendon’s Sunny Hill Park ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
The sapling was presented to her by Her Majesty the Queen’s representative, Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE, Lord Lieutenant of Greater London, in a special ceremony on Wednesday 17 November. She joined her fellow Mayors from all the capital’s 32 boroughs, who each received a sapling in Hyde Park as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative.
Cllr Cornelius said: “From little acorns, mighty oak trees grow. The gift that I received may be relatively small at the moment – but it will be a huge oak tree 70 years from now. It will also help to enhance our environment, along with the other trees that we are planting in the borough, so that we can all breathe cleaner air. Furthermore, it is a fitting memorial to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II who has reigned longer than any other monarch and has been a great example of service to us all. I hope that we can all see this tree as a symbol of unity for all our residents, whatever their background.”
The Lord-Lieutenant said: "We have all been through a challenging time with the pandemic and Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee next year is the perfect opportunity for Londoners to come together and celebrate this remarkable milestone in our country’s history.
“My hope is that London’s Mayors will take their saplings back to their boroughs and hold tree planting ceremonies to mark The Queen’s 70 years of service and to encourage their local communities to plant more trees as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy, both as a thank you to Her Majesty for her unparalleled duty to the Nation, but also to enhance their local environment. I urge all Londoners to get involved and plant a tree for the Jubilee.”
In February 2022, Her Majesty will become the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, after 70 years of service to the British public. She succeeded to the throne on 6 February 1952 at the young age of 25. You can learn more about the Queen’s Green Canopy at: queensgreencanopy.org