His Royal Highness The Duke of Cornwall has visited the Royal British Legion Centenary Woodland at Nansledan in Newquay yesterday [March 7th], where he unveiled a plaque dedicating the woodland to The Queen’s Green Canopy as part of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The Duke was met by the Lord Lieutenant Colonel Edward Bolitho, the Mayor of Newquay Louis Gardner, Chairman of The Queen’s Green Canopy Sir Nicholas Bacon and the Royal British Legion County Vice-President Cornwall, Steve Lewis, together with a small number of veterans from the Army, Navy and RAF. He also met with a group of children from the neighbouring primary school, Skol Nansledan.
The Royal British Legion Centenary Wood was planted by the Duchy of Cornwall last year to mark the Centenary of the Royal British Legion.
The Duchy planted 100 trees specially chosen for Newquay’s climate, creating a unique space where people can reflect and remember the service and sacrifice of the British Armed Forces for generations to come. It was opened on Armistice Day, 11th November 2021, by The Lord Lieutenant.
The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is a tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 which invites people from across the United Kingdom to ‘Plant a Tree for the Jubilee’.
Geraint Richards, Head Forester at The Duchy of Cornwall, said: “The Duchy of Cornwall has been delighted to support this initiative inspired by the Royal British Legion to mark its centenary and create a legacy, and what better way to do that than by planting 100 trees. This site seemed so perfect, being next to the school and allowing the children to engage with the project from the start.
“It is wonderful that His Royal Highness was able to meet some of those involved the project and for them to see him dedicate the woodland as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy, in this Platinum Jubilee year.”
Steve Lewis, Royal British Legion County Vice-President Cornwall, said: “Planted in the Royal British Legion’s centenary year, we are delighted that the woodland has been dedicated as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The wood provides a peaceful space to remember the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces community and for people to reflect on what Remembrance means to them.”
Nansledan is the Duchy of Cornwall’s extension to Newquay that embodies the principles of architecture and urban planning championed by The Duke of Cornwall. His Royal Highness’ vision is to plan connected urban centres where mixed-income housing, shops, offices and leisure facilities combine so that daily needs can be met within walkable neighbourhood.
Nansledan will provide over 1.2 million square meters of natural and open space for the community, which is equivalent to around 180 full sized football pitches. This includes 30 hectares of wildflower rich grasslands planted by the Duchy of Cornwall for local people to enjoy.
The community will eventually comprise 4,000 new homes, with an ambition to create a least one job per household. Since 2014, around 530 homes have been built, and there are some 30 local businesses that already call Nansledan their home. A new nursery school will open in September.
