Elm and Lime trees planted by local children at Wild Heart Hill

The Lord Lieutenant of West Sussex, Mrs. Susan Pyper and local children from Reflections Small School in Worthing planted an avenue of Elm and Lime trees on 24th March at Wild Heart Hill, along the Monarch’s Way footpath near Findon.

The Jubilee Elm avenue is a unique feature for the county and the country. The Elms have been bred to be disease resistant, helping to reinstate Elms to the UK after they were almost wiped out in the 1960’s and 70’s.

This is the culmination of two months of tree planting by over 100 volunteers at Wild Heart Hill. 1,500 native trees will have been planted across the hillside including Field Maple, Small-leaved Lime, Dogwood, Sweet Chestnut, Whitebeam, Wild cherry, Hazel, Hawthorn, Blackthorn, and Spindle.

The trees at Wild Heart Hill are dedicated to the Queens Green Canopy, which aims to plant 70,000 trees to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and as a way to thank Her Majesty The Queen for her service of 70 years on the throne.

School children decorated the tree protectors and future planting

The Lord Lieutenant for West Sussex wanted to publicly celebrate what has been achieved in West Sussex and to inspire others to plant more trees in the autumn tree planting season.

Local children from Reflections Small School have hand painted the tubes that will protect the trees from the large families of resident deer and rabbits that might be present at Wild Heart Hill. These highlight both the Platinum Jubilee and the wildlife that will be attracted to the trees.

The Lord Lieutenant of West Sussex Mrs Susan Pyper said: “I would like to congratulate Josephine, the children from Reflections School and everyone involved at Wild Heart Hill for making such an inspiring contribution to the Queen’s Green Canopy in West Sussex.

“The planting of so many valuable and vital trees will bring joy to many generations and you will have helped to spark a real passion for nature here, on the Monarch’s Way, in a beautiful part of the South Downs National Park.

“This is a powerful way to mark the close of the first planting season, which has been so well supported across the county – we have pledges of support from so many groups and a wonderful variety of plantings already in place; restored woodlands on farmland, new stretches of hedgerow, individual trees planted in schools, towns, parks and family gardens.

“It has been an energetic and enthusiastic start to The Platinum Jubilee year and a wonderful way to thank Her Majesty for her exceptional service over 70 years on the throne. The opportunity to add to the Queen’s Green Canopy will begin again at the start of autumn – and we look forward to seeing many other communities in West Sussex getting ready to Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”

Tree planting at Wild Heart Hill as education for local school children

Josephine Lavelle, owner of Wild Heart Hill said: “We have been blown away by the enthusiasm the volunteers that helped us plant 1,500 trees in the last five weeks. 94% had never planted a tree, but they left inspired, empowered and better connected to the environment around them.

“Today’s event was the culmination of all that hard work. We are proud to have created a new avenue of Elm trees that will be enjoyed by our children and our children’s children and help to highlight the importance of diversifying tree species in a heating climate and reversing biodiversity loss.

“We have dedicated the trees to Her Majesty The Queen, in celebration of her 70 years on the throne. As a steadfast leader who has helped normalise women’s roles in leadership positions, she is a true inspiration”

Liz Brown, Head of Reflections School said: “Our involvement with planting trees for the Queen’s Jubilee has provided such a rich learning experience.

“Planting the endangered Elm trees at such a historic location has not only provided the opportunity for our children to learn more about tree planning and local history but it has enabled them to make a positive contribution both to the local community and future generations by putting their sustainable stamp on the future.

“I am so proud of the children’s beautiful painted designs on the tree guards that have created an enchanting artistic trail.”