TREES planted at a Kilmacolm beauty spot have been dedicated to the late Queen Elizabeth as part of a major environmental project.
Around 25 trees at village’s Birkmyre Park have now been adopted as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative with support from the local Lord Lieutenant, Colonel Peter McCarthy.
They are a mixture of types, including two varieties of acer, two types of cherry, and silver birch.
Established to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee last year, when people were invited to ‘plant a tree to mark the jubilee’, the project has continued at the request of the King as a lasting tribute to his late mother and Britain’s longest reigning monarch.
The trees in Kilmacolm are part of a community-led £65,000 improvement project for Birkmyre Park being delivered by Inverclyde Council.
It will also include the addition of wildflowers, additional seating and picnic tables, and an extension to the children’s play park.
Councillor Michael McCormick, Inverclyde Council’s convener of environment and regeneration, said: “It’s a fitting tribute to the late Queen that these trees have been dedicated in her memory as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative.
“As well as honouring Her Majesty, the project has nature and the environment at its heart –- something Queen Elizabeth was passionate about during her reign –- and it aligns perfectly with the council’s ambitions to plant more trees, improve biodiversity and ultimately do what we can to reduce and offset harmful carbon emissions.”
Lord Lieutenant, Colonel McCarthy, said: “It’s marvellous to see a beautiful mix of trees here and in the fullness of time they will be surrounded by wildflowers.
“The Queen was such a passionate advocate for nature, wildlife, and the environment and this is a wonderful gesture that the trees here in Birkmyre Park, Kilmacolm, have been included as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project.
“Her Majesty of course visited Inverclyde as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012 and I’m absolutely delighted to see this in memory of the Queen. I am enormously grateful to Inverclyde Council for this initiative.”
The Queen’s Green Canopy was due to conclude in December at the end of the Jubilee year.
However, as the official tree planting season in the United Kingdom is from October to March, the initiative was extended to include the full tree planting season, beginning in October 2022 and concluding in March 2023.
Over a million trees were planted in Her Majesty’s name across the nation during the first planting season alone from October 2021 to March 2022.
