IT WAS a right royal day at Woodrow First School when the Lord Lieutenant of the County dropped in to plant a special tree three as part of the Queen’s Canopy Project.
The Longdon Close school was one of just three in Worcestershire to receive the honour and the only one in Redditch.
Speaking to parents who had gathered in the school grounds to collect their children for the half term break, Lt Colonel Patrick Holcroft CVO OBE, the Lord Lieutenant of the county said: “Her Majesty asked all the Lord Lieutenants of the country to select an institution which had shown real commitment to their community and your school came top of the list in Worcestershire.
“So I am delighted to be here today to to help you plant this tree from the Tree of Trees which stood outside Buckingham Palace.
“This is a thank you to you all from the late Queen and from the King.”
He added: “The Woodrow community supports this school like no other, so thank you all.”
Earlier it looked like the day would be a washout due to torrential rain, but the clouds parted and the sun shone as the Lord Lieutenant, together with pupils from the school, planted the tree.
Headteacher Richard Kieran said: “What a brilliant event. Once again this has been an opportunity for us to be really proud of our community, our parents, staff, and the children.
“This will ensure that in the future our children will recognise the importance of the Green Canopy Project and remember our late Queen Elizabeth II.
“We are particularly grateful to the Lord Lieutenant’s office for bringing all this to our school.
“What a joyous day it has been – not even a deluge of rain could spoil it as the sun came out.”
THE Queen’s Canopy Project was designed to leave a lasting legacy to mark Her Majesty’s historic Platinum Jubilee.
The Tree of Trees, standing 70ft high, was erected outside Buckingham Palace to for the four day holiday marking the jubilee celebration.
It carried on its branches 350 native British trees in special aluminium pots and it is one of those trees, a beech tree, which has been planted in the grounds of Woodrow First School.
