Royal gifts to take root in Clifton Park

Marion Guy (84) was gifted the five trees as part of The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy scheme and they will soon take root in the much-loved beauty spot.

The Queen’s Canopy is a Woodland Trust-backed network of forest conservation initiatives to mark Her Majesty’s lifetime of service to the Commonwealth by planting 50,000 saplings across the country.

Marion learned about the “brilliant” project after watching Sir David Attenborough and The Queen talking about the tree-planting project on television.

Coincidentally, she then received an email from scheme sponsor Sainsbury’s inviting people to apply for free seeds.

“I thought: ‘I will do that’,” said Marion. “I do love trees — I thought: ‘What a good idea’.”

Her application was successful and the grandmother-of-seven received her seeds through the post.

After deciding her Whiston garden was too small to house two silver birches, two rowan and one hazel tree, Marion contacted her former nursing colleague Elaine Humphries, chairwoman of Friends of Clifton Park.

Marion said: “Having been a Rotherham resident all my life I’ve enjoyed Clifton Park as a child and taken my children and grandchildren there, so I thought there was no better place for the trees.”

Clifton Park head gardener Keith Burns has nurtured the seedlings since October.

“I have always loved trees, I am what they call a tree hugger!” added Marion.

“I think it’s brilliant The Queen’s Canopy — it’s all to do with the environment, because of global warming we need these trees because they’ve cut so many down in the rainforest.”

In November, Rotherham MP Sarah Champion helped to plant five of the same trees at Centenary Riverside reserve as part of the eco-friendly initiative. 

Marion said it was nice to know the trees would outlive her and be enjoyed by parkgoers for years to come — now they just need some rain to help reign supreme.