18 Nov 2022 Community

The Kirkwood honoured as one of The Queen’s Tree of Trees is planted in their award winning gardens

A very special tree which helped to create a giant living sculpture during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations has been planted in The Kirkwood gardens by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire.

The Kirkwood were delighted to welcome Bob Cryan, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire, to The Kirkwood today to plant a very special tree in our award-winning gardens.

The tree was originally part of a giant tree sculpture created for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations earlier this year. Made up of 350 saplings, the sculpture, dubbed the Canopy of Trees, formed a centrepiece for the Queen’s 70-year festivities back in the Summer.

The Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire was welcomed to The Kirkwood by members of The Kirkwood, who reserved a special space in our grounds for the young tree to grow and flourish.

Speaking during the tree planting ceremony, Duncan Batty, Director of Income Generation and Marketing with The Kirkwood, said: "We were delighted to welcome Bob Cryan, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire to The Kirkwood Gardens today to plant Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee tree. Honoured to receive the Queen's award earlier this year, the new addition to our garden is welcome reminder not only of the achievements of our volunteer team but also the legacy of HM Queen Elizabeth ll." 

The Kirkwood’s Chief Executive, Michael Crowther, also joined the team in the gardens for the special planting ceremony.

Michael said: "We were incredibly proud to have received the Queen's award earlier this year. The Queen showed fantastic spirit, dedication, and a caring and kind attitude towards everyone, and that is something we mirror as a charity. To have the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire visit The Kirkwood gardens today and plant our ‘Tree of Trees.’ One of 350 saplings, kindly donated from the living sculpture, dubbed the 'Canopy of Tree's, in celebration of the HM Queen Elizabeth ll’s Platinum Jubilee, was of great significance and a special moment for The Kirkwood team. Something we will always remember. So, on behalf of everyone involved with The Kirkwood, thank you."



It was a timely donation for The Kirkwood team, who recently honoured Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by inscribing a special leaf plaque on their Tree of Memories.

Installing the gold-coloured leaf was the charity’s way of paying tribute to our country’s longest serving monarch, who was a passionate advocate for charities and good causes throughout her reign, following her sad death in September.

On adding the leaf to the Tree of Memories, Michael said: “The Tree of Memories sits proudly on display in our meeting space, engraved with the memories of the families and their loved ones that have passed through The Kirkwood doors at Dalton. The Tree of Memories is of great significance for those we have supported and cared for during these last 35 years. We felt it right to honour HM Queen Elizabeth ll, earlier this Autumn, placing a commemorative gold leaf in her memory of the legacy she leaves."

We’d like to thank the Deputy Lord Lieutenant for taking the time to visit The Kirkwood and helping us to plant the very special tree. We hope to see the tree flourish in its new surroundings over the coming years.