Platinum jubilee tree planted in Castletown last year has died, community council hears
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A TREE which was planted in Castletown to mark the Queen's platinum jubilee last year has died.
It had not been struggling for some time but members of the village community council heard at their meeting last week that the tree is dead.
Plans are being made to try and see if it is possible to get a replacement.
The Whitebeam tree was planted by Alice Calder Hill last June as part of the celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth II's reign. Mrs Hill was asked to plant the tree by the community council as she is the oldest person in the village.
It was planted along from the children's play park beside some other trees on the Main Street during the well-attended street party staged in the summer of 2022.
Community council secretary, Liz Geddes, said: "It is a pity the tree has died."
The Whitebeam was selected for the occasion as it was said to be a robust and hardy tree but it did not flourish in the last 16 months. It was thought it could be saved but that did not prove possible. The Whitebeam is described as a deciduous broadleaf tree that is compact and domed. Mature trees can grow to a height of 15 metres. The bark and twigs are smooth and grey and the shoots are red in sunlight but greyish-green in the shade.
Communities across the country planted trees as part of the celebrations which included street parties and other events.
Just a few months after the event the Queen died at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire. She was 96.
Queen Elizabeth II's reign as head of state spanned post-war austerity, the transition from empire to Commonwealth, the end of the Cold War and the UK's entry into – and withdrawal from – the European Union.
During her seven decades on the throne, the Queen planted about 1500 trees around the world.
