Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) was gifted a celebratory tree taken from Queen Elizabeth II’s ‘Tree of Trees’ sculpture. The lime tree was one of 350 British native tree saplings, placed together on a steel frame to form a unique 69ft structure outside Buckingham Palace in June this year.  

The sculpture, designed by Thomas Heatherwick, was made for Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy – a unique tree planting initiative set up to mark her Majesty’s 70 year reign.

The council is one of 300 organisations across the UK to have been chosen to receive a tree. Lord Lieutenant of County Down, Mr Gawn Rowan Hamilton, joined Mayor of LCCC, Cllr Scott Carson, Chair of LCCC’s Leisure & Community Development Committee, Cllr Aaron McIntrye, and local school children to plant the tree in its new home at Billy Neill MBE Country Park.

Lord Lieutenant of County Down, Mr Gawn Rowan Hamilton, said: “I was pleased to nominate LCCC to receive one of these special commemorative trees and I’m delighted to be planting it with them today. The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative allows young and old to come together to make a positive impact on their communities and is a special way to remember the Queen for years to come.”

Mayor Carson said: “It is such a huge honour to be chosen for our contribution to tree planting and environmental conservation through our ’Journey to Sustainability’ initiative.

“It is fitting that we plant this tree during National Tree Week 2022. It will be a lasting legacy, honouring Her Majesty’s extraordinary service and also highlighting the importance of trees and the impact they have on our way of life.”

Chair of LCCC’s Leisure & Community Development Committee, Cllr Aaron McIntrye, said: “The council’s Big Tree Project is committed to growing and planting over 250,000 native trees in the next 3 years to increase our woodland cover and help our planet thrive. There are many ways you can help us do this and we need people of all ages and abilities to get involved.”

To find out more and Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council’s Big Tree Project go to www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/bigtreeproject or email thebigtreeproject@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk