Last week saw the newly extended and refurbished village hall in Glangrwyney as the latest site for the Vale of Grwyney Community Council’s tree planting scheme to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
With the focus over the past few weeks on the Coronation, it comes as a timely reminder, that many of the legacy schemes for the Queen’s Jubilee are still ongoing and are designed to leave a long-lasting memorial message for the service delivered by new King’s mother.
The scheme in the Vale of Grwyney has been on the drawing board for some time, but planting new trees, and indeed sourcing them at a time when tree planting has been replicated all over the nation, has required some careful planning.
The tree planted in Glangrwyney is one of seven trees - one for each decade of the Queen’s reign - which have all been planted across the Community Council area, to mark out a Jubilee Walk. This starts in Glangrwyney and follows existing well-trodden paths, some overlapping with existing Beacons Way routes, right up through the villages of Llangenny and Llanbedr with the last tree planted near the church in Patrishow.
The scheme is now nearing completion, and each tree will have a plaque near-by to include a short message of commemoration, but importantly, the plaque will also have a QR (quick response) code to allow anyone with a smart phone to access the website, which will give additional information, as well as directions and the locations of the other trees.
With each of the seven trees marking a different decade of the Queen’s reign, the Community Council will include a number of interesting facts on their website, about each decade and a reminder of significant events she might have been involved with, as well as National and International events of historical importance. For example, whilst the Queen came to the throne following her father’s death on 2nd February 1952, her own coronation took place in the following year, on the 2nd of June 1953. Food rationing, which many will associate with the war years, was not actually abolished in Britain until a year later in 1954!
The cherry tree in Glangrwyney, was planted by the Chairman of the Community Council, John Morris, ably assisted by County Councillor Matt Beecham and five pupils from Llanbedr Primary School.
Other trees being planted in this scheme, comprise a mixture of walnut, cherry, oak, rowan and silver birch. A small audience also attended, comprised of other members of the Community Council, several Trustees from Glangrwyney Village Hall, staff from Llanbedr School and a small group of members of the public.
Afterwards, everyone enjoyed some light refreshments in the new community hub at the hall called the CHaT Room (Community Hub and Ty Cyfarfod which translates from the Welsh as the meeting room or meeting place). Outside the hall, is a new community garden area, nearing completion, which raps around the hall to provide planters for a variety of different plants as well as including a small children’s play area.
There will also be seating of various type so that members of the community, when the weather allows, can sit outside away from the busy main road, to enjoy the plants including the flowering cherry tree which now marks the start of the Queen’s Jubilee walk across the Vale of Grwyney.