From Diamond Jubilee to Platinum Jubilee: Andover Trees celebrates 10 Years of Harmony Woods

Monday 7th March 2022, Andover: Local environmental organisation, Andover Trees United, is celebrating a decade of tree planting at Harmony Woods, the new community woodland it initiated in the year of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee back in 2012. The organisation has now accomplished its founding aim to enable 10,000 children to plant 10,000 trees in 10 years and will be celebrating this achievement in the year of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Celebrations will begin on Thursday 17th March 2022 with an ‘End of the decade’ ceremony at Harmony Woods. Children and teachers from participating schools and community volunteers will be joined by the Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, Nigel Atkinson Esq., and Test Valley Mayor, Mark Cooper, in a procession through the wood with flag waving and story-telling. The children will plant their final trees and the proceedings will culminate with the planting of an Oak tree to mark the Queen’s Platinum jubilee.

The ceremony will replicate that of the first Oak tree planted in Harmony Woods by the then Mayor of Test Valley Dorothy Baverstoke, on Monday 26th November 2012. Children from participating schools all planted their trees alongside this oak in what was then a muddy field with the majority of the houses which now make up the Augusta estate yet to be built.

Wendy Davis, founder and project leader said: “We are thrilled that children are coming together once more to put the last of their trees in the ground 10 years later! The children who are attending will act as ambassadors for the 10,000 children who have planted over the last decade.”

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who has been part of the journey and there will be lots of opportunities over the coming months for everyone to join in the celebrations of this milestone.”

Throughout the remainder of the year the organisation is delivering various projects that align with the 10 year celebrations including an exhibition at Chapel Art Studios (25 June - 23 July) of their One Ash project which focuses on sustainable forestry and celebrates our wonderful Ash trees, now suffering the devastating effect of the Ash dieback disease.

Wendy explains: “When we began back in 2012 the planting of Ash trees was prohibited in the UK due to the spread of dieback disease. More is now known about how the disease is spread and the moratorium has been lifted so we are delighted that, as part of our celebration on the 17th, we will be adding to the wood young Ash trees grown by volunteers from seed gathered from a single Ash tree in Glastonbury. Ash Trees have a particular significance to our town as the name Andover is derived from its pre-saxon name Anderferas or place by the Ash Tree Waters.”

The organisation will be announcing further details on celebratory projects in the next few weeks.

Tree planting and maintenance of the wider Diamond Wood will be ongoing but the area set aside for the children is now complete. The organisation is now launching its next phase where it will be working closely with TVBC and other landowners to find new sites where the children of Andover can continue to gift trees to their community. If you have land suitable for tree planting and would like to help Andover Trees United to continue tree planting with local school children, please get in touch.

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