Lomond joins Queen's Green Canopy Programme

On the last day of the official tree planting season in the UK, Junior 5 pupils at Lomond School in Helensburgh welcomed both the Lord Lieutenant of Argyll, Mrs Jane MacLeod, and the Lord Lieutenant of Dunbartonshire, Mrs Jill Young, to Clarendon to help pupils plant a tree in the school gardens.

Taking part in the Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) initiative, part of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, was the perfect way the Junior 5 class to kick start their work on the John Muir Award, allowing them to create their own natural space within the school grounds. As preparation for the tree planting, the pupils learnt about the meaning of a Jubilee and why it is so special, as well as the types of native trees the Woodland Trust advise be planted.

Having researched the hazel, rowan and crab apple trees, J5 held a vote and decided to plant a crab apple tree. They discovered during their research that an ancestor of the modern apple tree, crab apple trees are associated with love and marriage. This struck them as particularly fitting to celebrate the Queen’s bond with the country.

The pupils were also delighted to welcome Mrs. Fiona Aitken and Mrs. Nicola Aitken from Gilmour and Aitken Timber Merchants who donated the crab apple tree for the planting. Celebrating 170 years in business this year, Gilmour & Aitken are gifting trees to the schools and groups of their 34 employees, helping them to mark the Platinum Jubilee celebration and promote the environmental positives of tree planting. The company are also funding planting initiatives in other countries where they buy timber from such as Guyana.

Mrs Aitken commented: “A huge thanks to Lomond School and the J5 year group for so pro-actively embracing the Queens Green Canopy initiative for the Jubilee which Gilmour & Aitken Ltd are supporting for our 170 years birthday. The initiative is a really inclusive way for school year groups to be involved in learning a about trees, and it brings alive the small ways everyone can be involved in carbon capture, to help prevent climate change.”