On Monday 21st November, Lord-Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight, Mrs Susie Sheldon, planted a tree in the grounds of The Isle of Wight College as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) initiative.
The tree is a beautiful multi-stemmed Silver Birch (Betula Pendula), which formed part of the 21-metre-high 'Tree of Trees' sculpture, designed by Tom Heatherwick for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The Tree of Trees, made up of 350 saplings and erected outside Buckingham Palace over the summer, was illuminated by Her Majesty The Queen as the first of a chain of 1,500 beacons lit across the UK and Commonwealth.
Following the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, each county in the UK was invited to apply for one of the trees; the Isle of Wight has been extremely fortunate in receiving two trees, the other one being located at Pan Meadows Country Park.
The Lord-Lieutenant, who is the monarch's representative on the Isle of Wight, said:
“It is very exciting to be planting one of the 'Tree of Trees’ at The Isle of Wight College, as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project. The college is a great location for the tree, whereby students, staff and visitors for years to come will be able to see and enjoy it.”
This is the first royal engagement at the Isle of Wight College since the appointment of principal, Ros Parker OBE, in September:
“It means a lot to the students and staff of The Isle of Wight College to have been chosen to receive this beautiful sapling from the 'Tree of Trees'. The tree is now under the expert supervision of the college’s skilled horticulture department and takes pride of place on the campus".
Thank you to:
Our lovely Public Service students for chaperoning the guests:
- Ella Young
- Grace Allen
- George Stinton
- Jake Mander
Our fantastic photography students for photographing the tree planting:
- Shakira French
- Lewis Brown
- Carmen McPherson
