James Jagger, Deputy Head of Farnham College and Ian Sargeant, Chair of Farnham Educational Foundation, as well as students and staff, planted a commemorative tree in the grounds of the college today in honour of Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
The tree marks the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne and the beginning of celebrations across the Activate Learning group.
Geography and Biology students were also joined by Lady Tindle, wife of the late Sir Ray Tindle, prominent local newspaper businessman, to mark the special occasion and its upcoming celebrations at the College based in Morley Road in Farnham.
After Mr Jagger gave a speech to reflect on this historic occasion, Mr Sargeant and the students were pleased to proceed with the ceremonial planting, overseen by the college’s Head of Green Initiatives, Steven Bell.
Commemorative trees are being planted across all of Activate Learning’s seven campuses this week.
Gary Headland, Chief Executive Officer at Activate Learning, said of the commemorations: “It has been wonderful to come together as a college community, and with the wider community that we are part of, to mark this incredibly special occasion and celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
“This is but a small token of our appreciation and respect for everything Her Majesty has done for the people of this country in her time as monarch, but one I hope will be enjoyed by many generations to come.”
Located at the front of the college, the Prunus Fukubana tree is embellished with a commemorative plaque in honour of Her Majesty and the celebrations.
James Jagger said: “We are so proud to be able to mark the Platinum Jubilee in this way, by involving some of our students in the ceremonial planting of this tree, and we hope that it is enjoyed by many Farnham College students in future years.”
The ceremony at Farnham College is part of the Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) initiative, which invites people from across the UK to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”.
Ian Sargeant reflected of the occasion: “The Farnham Educational Foundation started with a charter from Queen Elizabeth I to establish a school in Farnham, so it is most fitting that today, we should come together and plant this commemorative tree to honour Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on her 70 years of public service and dedication to the country. I am proud to be a part of this special occasion and hope that the tree, and the college, continues to thrive for many years to come”.
A Level Geography student, Katie Hurcombe, helped to plant the tree and said: “I was really honoured to be asked to take part in today’s ceremony and it was lovely to see people of all ages come together to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee in this way.”
Activate Learning is committed to championing ongoing sustainability, as illustrated within the group’s Strategic Plan, Empowering Learning.
The group continue to work on projects that drive sustainability and meets the needs of their local communities.