North East Derbyshire is getting a whole lot greener, thanks to a tree planting scheme to mark her late Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
Thanks to successful bids to the Local Authority Treescapes Fund, North East Derbyshire District Council land and some parish council areas in the district have seen dozens of new trees take root in recent months.
The funding has helped to pay for trees to be planted as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative – a unique project which was set up to mark Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 which invited people from across the UK to ‘Plant a tree for the Jubilee’.
The latest of these, a Whitebeam, was planted at North East Derbyshire District Council’s offices, Mill Lane, Wingerworth, on Thursday 23 February.
Cllr Diana Ruff, Chair of North East Derbyshire District Council, said: “We are delighted to be able to plant these trees across our district to mark such a momentous occasion in our nation’s history.”
Cllr Charlotte Cupit, North East Derbyshire District Council’s Cabinet member for the Environment, said: “These trees will not only benefit the environment by helping to remove carbon dioxide from the air, but will also provide a valuable habitat for birds, insects and other wildlife, as well as improving the attractiveness of the district for years to come.”
The lane leading to NEDDC’s Mill Lane offices already has a number of mature Lime trees on it, so the Whitebeam will help to add to the biodiversity of the site.
Two further trees will now be planted in the north and south of the district – a Crab Apple on Gosforth Drive, Dronfield and a Lime on Jackson’s field (part of the Sharley Park site) in Clay Cross.
Following the wishes of His Majesty the King, The Queen’s Green Canopy has been extended to the end of March 2023, to give people the opportunity to plant trees in memoriam to honour Her Majesty. More information can be found on The Queen’s Green Canopy website: www.queensgreencanopy.org
Pictured helping to plant the Whitebeam at NEDDC’s council offices (from left): Lee Hickin, Managing Director of North East Derbyshire District Council, Cllr Alex Dale, Leader of North East Derbyshire District Council, Cllr Diana Ruff, Chair of North East Derbyshire District Council and Cllr Charlotte Cupit, North East Derbyshire District Council’s Cabinet member for the Environment.