The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is a unique tree-planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, inviting people from across the UK to “Plant a tree for the Jubilee”. These living legacies will honour Her Majesty’s leadership of the nation and benefit future generations.
His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Robert Voss CBE CStJ, was asked by Buckingham Palace to select eight organisations in Hertfordshire to receive one of the QGC Tree of Trees and nominated our community among the beneficiaries.
Mr Voss attended a planting ceremony today (Friday 11 November), along with Lady Virginia Cecil, a patron of Emmaus, Heather Hurford, our chair of trustees, Duncan Lewis, our Chief Executive and our trustees.
Duncan said: “We are honoured to be chosen to receive this living legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, to stand as a growing reminder of her incredible commitment to improving the quality of life in communities like ours through the power of nature.
“A huge thank you to the Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire for choosing Emmaus to benefit from this wonderful initiative which recognises the work we do to help our formerly homeless companions to regain their independence.”
During the tree planting ceremony, Robert Voss, HM’s Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire said: “This is really very special – it is in memory of Her Majesty the Queen, an incredible Monarch. And it’s really quite special that it’s going to be here, hopefully for generations to come, and when they look at it, to remember Her Majesty the Queen.”
Focused on sustainable planting, the QGC is committed to supporting planting trees in some of the most deprived UK schools and urban areas, increasing access to green space, with innumerable benefits to health and mental wellbeing. As well as improving the quality of life in communities, the initiative promotes the vital importance of ancient trees and forests to the environment.
The Tree of Trees was a spectacular 21-metre sculpture featuring 350 British native trees that was erected outside Buckingham Palace as an exciting centrepiece of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend celebrations in June.
Designed by Thomas Heatherwick, the sculpture reflected the joyful Jubilee tree planting which has swept the nation as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC), inspiring over a million trees to be planted during its first season, from October 2021 to March 2022.
The sculpture sought to put the importance of trees and nature at the heart of this historic milestone to celebrate Her Majesty, who has planted over 1,500 trees all over the world throughout the course of her 70-year reign.
The 350 trees are set in aluminium pots embossed with Her Majesty’s cypher. The trees and pots are now being gifted to selected community groups and organisations, including Emmaus Hertfordshire, to celebrate their work and inspire the next generation of tree planters across the nation.