Volunteer group honoured in Queen’s name

Local nature group, Friends of Dothill, was delighted this week to receive a special tree from The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) ‘Tree of Trees’ which stood tall as a message of hope, regeneration and optimism to the nation and the world as part of the Platinum Jubilee weekend celebrations.

Friends of Dothill is a dedicated group of volunteers who help maintain and improve Dothill Local Nature Reserve – one of Telford and Wrekin’s 23 Local Nature Reserves. They join over 300 organisations from across the UK who were recently announced by the QGC as recipients of these special trees in The Queen’s name, which are gifted in a pot embossed with Her Majesty’s cypher.

The ‘Tree of Trees’ sculpture placed the importance of trees and nature at the heart of the historic milestone to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. Her Majesty planted over 1,500 trees all over the world during her 70-year reign.

The trees planted across the country in Her Majesty’s name will continue to spread this message, in honour of her extraordinary service to her country and her people.

Presented by Anna Turner, The Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, a 3m rowan tree was planted on 17 October between Severn Drive and Dothill Pool on Dothill Local Nature Reserve.

Chair of Friends of Dothill Local Nature Reserve, Keith Jones, attended the presentation along with Telford & Wrekin Council cabinet member Cllr Carolyn Healy and green space infrastructure officer, Adrian Corney.

The tree becomes part of the living legacy in honour of Her Majesty, joining over a million trees already planted across the UK as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy.

Keith Jones, from Friends of Dothill, said:  “We are thrilled to have been chosen for our contribution to the Telford and Wrekin community. I would like to say a big thank you to all to our wonderful volunteers for their hard work and dedication to making Dothill Local Nature Reserve such a special place.”

Cllr Carolyn Healy (Labour), cabinet member for climate change, green spaces, natural and historic environment and cultural services, said:  “We have some fantastic ‘Friends of’ groups in the borough and so I’m delighted that the Friends of Dothill were selected to receive the Queen’s Green Canopy tree.  “Our green spaces teams are continually impressed by their unending enthusiasm, resourcefulness and passion for the Local Nature Reserve they help to maintain and improve. As individuals and as a whole, this group are fantastic.”

Anna Turner, The Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, said: “We were so impressed by the work of Friends of Dothill. This group has helped set up a junior ‘friends of’ group at the local primary school, nurturing the children’s understanding of habitats, has created a 50 tree trail for nature reserve users, and has worked successfully with partner agencies to help protect vital aquatic habitats.  “I’m delighted to present this tree on behalf of the Queen’s Green Canopy as a ‘thank you’ for all the valuable and tireless work that these volunteers undertake for the benefit of their community.  “We hope that these special trees will raise awareness of the need to plant trees and inspire and encourage people to get involved in tree planting.”

The Queen’s Green Canopy campaign continues to promote tree planting across the UK, with individuals and organisations encouraged to log their own tree plantings on a national database which creates an interactive map showcasing the nation’s plantings.