Local school children help Mayor plant trees in memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Great Yarmouth Borough Council and environmental charity Trees for Cities held The Queen's Green Canopy event to celebrate the Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It marked one of several upcoming community tree planting events hosted by Trees for Cities within the borough, as part of the Forgotten Places: Greening Coastal Towns and Cities programme.

The Queen's Green Canopy initiative, funder of Forgotten Places: Greening Coastal Towns and Cities, began in May 2021 in honour of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. People are being urged to create this 'special gift' for the Queen to mark her 70 years on the throne.

The Queen's Green Canopy event on Thursday, November 3, saw a small number of schools help plant trees on South Quay and take part in a variety of tree-related activities on the Quay and within the Town Hall.

Mayor of Great Yarmouth, Cllr Graham Plant, said: "It was great to be part of the Queen's Green Canopy event, where I had the privilege of planting a tree along South Quay, next to the ones planted by some of our local school children this morning.

"I encourage all of our residents to get involved in the creation of this legacy to honour The Queen's leadership of the nation, which will benefit future generations."

Trees for Cities is the only UK charity working at a national and international scale to improve lives by planting trees in cities. They work with local communities to cultivate lasting change in their neighbourhoods through revitalising forgotten spaces, creating healthier environments and getting people excited about growing, foraging and eating healthy food.

The charity have spearheaded the Forgotten Places: Greening Coastal Towns and Citiesinitiative, which is an urban greening project specifically focusing on increasing tree cover in coastal cities and towns with low tree canopy cover and high levels of socio-economic deprivation. Over the winter, they will have reached the goal of planting 55,000 trees across 83 locations in seven coastal towns and cities, including Great Yarmouth.

Louise Purnell, Senior Engagement Manager at Trees for Cities said, "Our work in Great Yarmouth and the six other fantastic coastal towns and cities that we work with represents a step towards building the UK's canopy cover and green economy in our forgotten coastal towns and cities.

By working and collaborating with the local communities and partners, we know that planting trees in cities has a vast positive impact on people, our environment and the climate.

Whether it's through upskilling opportunities or community tree planting days, we look forward to the upcoming planting season, in which together with our partners and communities, we will cultivate lasting change in neighbourhoods and coastal communities for generations to come."

The pupils came from St Nicholas Priory Primary, North Denes Primary, Peter House Primary and Stradbroke Primary.