A tree which formed part of a breath-taking ‘sculpture’ to celebrate the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee has been planted in Bolton.
The Rowan sapling was planted in the grounds of Bolton Parish Church on behalf of nominated local charity Fortalice, which celebrates its 45th anniversary this year.
It was planted using a special spade which has been silver plated and engraved b the official Crown Jeweller.
The University of Bolton donated a spade to carry out the ceremony, which had been produced by the its own engineers before being sent to the Crown Jeweller.
The sapling was part of the Tree of Trees, a tall sculpture made up of around 320 smaller trees. It was displayed at the end of The Mall in June as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy Scheme to commemorate the Her Majesty spending more than 70 years on the throne.
The trees spent the summer being looked after in a tree nursery in Cambridgeshire, to prepare them for being moved across the country.
It was Her Majesty’s wish that they be split up and distributed cross the UK and every county was allocated a number – Greater Manchester received twelve. The aim was to help encourage communities to plant trees.
The Bolton tree was planted on behalf of domestic abuse charity Fortalice by the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester Mrs Diane Hawkins JP LLB and the Deputy Mayor of Bolton Cllr Linda Thomas.
Mrs Hawkins, who donned wellies as well as in her Lord-Lieutenant finery, and is also Chair of the Board of Fortalice, told assembled VIPs at the ceremony: “We are delighted that Fortalice was nominated as the chosen charity for this very special tree planting.
“We obviously couldn’t plant it at the refuge, so we are extremely grateful to you for letting us place it at the Parish Church, alongside a bench donated by the council.”
She added: “I would like to thank the Parish Church and Bolton Council for their tremendous support and a special thank you to the University of Bolton and its Vice Chancellor George Holmes for their endless support for Fortalice. I don’t know where we would be without you.”
Professor George E Holmes DL, President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Bolton, replied: “The University of Bolton’s engineers have crafted this spade and we arranged for Harry Collins, the official Crown Jeweller, to silver plate and engrave as a mark of this special occasion.”
Hulme Lecturer and Associate Priest Ian Hepburn said a prayer to bless the tree. He said: “We pray for all the staff at Fortalice and all the individuals and organisations who have partnered with us. May this tree be a symbol of the resilience and spirit of so many.”
Gill Smallwood MBE, Chief Executive of Fortalice, said: “It’s a huge honour to be nominated and recognised for the Queen’s Green Canopy tree planting initiative in recognition of the work we do with victims and survivors of domestic abuse.
“We can all share in the tree’s beauty as we watch it flourish and grow.”
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