On 11th November, the Mayor of Bexley, Cllr Nick O’Hare, planted ‘The Queen’s Tree’, which had been presented to the Trust by the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, Sir Kenneth Olisa OBE. The Trust had been chosen as one of 350 charities around the country and 18 in London to receive one of the trees which made up the ‘Tree of Trees’ sculpture outside Buckingham Palace, which was the centrepiece of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee weekend celebrations. The Trustees chose Danson Park to plant the tree where it can be enjoyed by the local community. It is planted on the south side of the lake, near the water, as being an alder tree, it is suited to the wet ground. The ceremony was attended by David Easton, Deputy Lieutenant, London Borough of Bexley, Louie French, Conservative MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, members of the East Wickham and Welling War Memorial Trust and Friends of Danson Park.
The ceremony was preceded by the observing of the two-minute silence at 11 am and the laying of a wreath at Welling War Memorial, outside St John’s Church, and a wreath was also laid at the Far East Prisoner of War Memorial, near the south side of the lake.
