Planting to remember late Queen

Members from the local community gathered for a tree planting ceremony at Cornton Nursery to celebrate the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Scots pine and hazel trees were planted last Thursday in the nursery grounds at a ceremony led by Rev Hamish Wishart. He was joined by specialists from Treelink Stirling and a group of children who attend Cornton Nursery.

The trees were planted as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy, an initiative launched in October 2021 to increase and protect native tree cover across the country in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

The programme was extended to cover the 2022-23 tree planting season following the death of the monarch to allow more people to plant trees in her memory.

A spokesperson from Cornton Nursery said: “At Cornton Nursery we have a strong ethos of Learning for Sustainability. The children are learning how to keep their planet safe, as well as being eco-friendly. They share pre-loved clothes for families, plant and harvest their own fruit and vegetables, and conduct community litter picks, to name but a few.

“As 2022 was the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration, we thought this was an ideal opportunity to plant some trees in our local community to mark the occasion.

“In partnership with Treelink, the local church and Stirling Council we have decided to plant our trees with a small ceremony as an act of restorative kindness in our local community. It is our hope that our children and their children’s children will come and sit under these trees and enjoy them for many years to come.”

A Stirling Council spokesperson said: “The tree-planting event brought the community together to leave a lasting legacy to Queen Elizabeth II as well as supporting learning about our natural environment, which is a key part of the curriculum.”