Haslingfield was recently lucky enough to be successful in applying for one of 60 Jubilee Diamond Trees being donated by the Tree Council to communities around the UK to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
The Diamond Jubilee Oak was planted on Friday 27th April in the Wellhouse Meadow. The Parish Council asked Mrs Margaret Long to officially plant the tree in recognition of the 36 years she served as a parish councillor until 2012. Mrs Long played an important part in establishing the Warden Scheme, one of the first such schemes in the country, which cares for elderly village residents. She was also a member of the Parish Council when it took action to save the Wellhouse Meadow for the village. Mrs Long was ably assisted in the planting by the two youngest members of the School Council, Hannah Farrell and Joseph Tudor, representing a new generation of villagers.
The Tree Council had asked that children be involved in the planting event, and the school’s Headteacher, Graeme McLeod, suggested that the 12 members of the School Council (two representing each class) could take part. It was decided that it would be a wonderful opportunity for the children to hear first hand accounts of the coronation and life 60 years ago from diners and helpers of the village Luncheon Club who had recorded their Coronation Memories prior to a Jubilee tea party last year. A wonderful session resulted. Fuelled by chocolate cake, the children were fascinated by how different life was within living memory (“You didn’t have a television?!!”), and the older generation enjoyed sharing their recollections. Accounts and pictures of all 60 planting events are being collected into a book to be presented to the Queen and put on the Tree Council’s website.
We hope that in another 60 years today’s pupils will be able to bring their grandchildren to the Wellhouse Meadow to show them the Diamond Jubilee Oak, which by then should be an impressive focal point, and tell them about the day it was planted.
Rebecca Ridley