1270 trees have been planted in Stenhouse.
Scotland international rugby player Marshall Sykes joined Edinburgh’s Lord Lieutenant Frank Ross, Culture and Communities Convener Donald Wilson and a team of volunteers to plant a series of Jubilee trees in celebration of Edinburgh becoming a QGC 'Champion City'.
The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, which invites people from across the United Kingdom to 'Plant a Tree for the Jubilee'.
Marshall Sykes joined volunteers from the local area at the launch event which saw 1,270 new trees planted, including Scots pine surrounded by meadowgrass, on 0.7 hectares of greenspace at Stenhouse on Broomhouse Drive.
The Queen’s Green Canopy is being delivered in partnership with Trees for Cities, a UK charity working at a national and international scale to improve lives by planting trees in cities. Together they are working to deliver community-led urban greening projects in all four nations of the UK as part of the Platinum Jubilee year.
As part of The Queen’s Green Canopy, a “Champion Cities” programme has been launched to celebrate some of the nation’s outstanding cities which have trees and woodland as a central part of their plans for greenspaces. The planting in Stenhouse reflects an extensive tree planting programme in Edinburgh, which has pledged to be both net zero and a Million Tree City by 2030.
Culture and Communities Convener Donald Wilson said:
It is an honour for Edinburgh to be selected as a “Champion City” as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy – this is a fantastic initiative that will not only help the environment but be a lasting tribute to the Queen’s legacy.
We're very proud that Edinburgh is already one of the UK's greenest cities, with more trees than people. This is another step as we strive towards our hugely ambitious target of making the city net zero by 2030.
Through our Million Tree City vision, our dedicated Parks, Greenspace and Cemeteries service are leading a project to increase tree cover to help Edinburgh fulfil its Climate Emergency commitments and become a Million Tree City by 2030. I would encourage everyone who is able to plant a tree for the jubilee.
Scotland international and Edinburgh Rugby lock, Marshall Sykes said:
As a club, we’re delighted to support The Queen’s Green Canopy’s tree planting in Stenhouse to create a vibrant space for the city’s and local residents to enjoy.
Rugby is all about togetherness, and this initiative will create a similar sense of community that all those living in the Stenhouse area can enjoy in the years to come.
I’m delighted to support this special Jubilee tree planting event to celebrate Edinburgh as a ‘Champion City’.