COVENTRY’S Cardinal Newman school received a gift from royalty last Friday as they were given a tree by the Queen’s Green Canopy in recognition of their work on environmental projects.
Coventry Lord Mayor Coun Kevin Maton and Coventry Park Rangers presented the whitebeam tree and helped pupils plant it on their grounds as a legacy for future generations.
The Queens Green Canopy is a nationwide scheme created to mark the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee and it has been extended by King Charles III.
Cardinal Newman has been involved in tree-planting projects in nearby Coundon Park to help Coventry achieve a pledge to plant 360,000 trees, one for every Coventrian, over the next ten years.
The school has also been dedicated to helping the rangers on other projects in the area for many years.
The council is planting a mix of native species to create new woodland across Coventry and has so far planted over 40,000 trees.
Coun Maton said: “It’s an honour to be able to gift this tree to students of Cardinal Newman for all of the hard work they have shown in helping our environment.
“The tree is a fitting gift and reminder of the efforts they have and continue to put into reducing the impact on the environment that we all make.”
School teacher and environmental project lead at Cardinal Newman, Rhys Davies added: “It is an honour to receive this gift in recognition of the environmental work pupils have done inside and outside of school over the last few years.
“The pupils at Cardinal Newman take great pride in their Peace Prayer Garden, school grounds and the Peace Orchard we have helped develop in Coundon Park.
“The pupils enjoy using them and taking their learning outside the classroom.”
