Report by Mr. Richard Outram, UK and Ireland Mayors for Peace Chapter Secretary
In glorious sunshine, UK/Ireland Mayors for Peace Chapter Secretary Richard Outram joined gardeners to plant a Hibaku ginkgo sapling on the UN International Day of Peace (21 September) in the West Yorkshire town of Horsforth, the latest UK member of Mayors for Peace.
The sapling was kindly gifted by Green Legacy Hiroshima and Richard took along an information plaque to accompany it.
Fittingly the location was the Japanese Garden in the Horsforth Hall Park.
Combining the elements of air, water and earth, the Japanese Garden transports visitors to a magical world of peace tranquillity and calm. Originally a shale tennis court, the garden was created during the 1970’s. The garden combines elements of classic Japanese gardens, such as water, rocks, bridges and viewpoints, with a traditional English walled garden.
Plant species in the garden include various Japanese maples, Japanese white and UK native Scots Pines as well as bamboos and Japanese cedars.
Also participating in the planting was Horsforth Town Council Peace Champion Cllr Eddie Hyndes, Town Council staff and the volunteers who tend to the garden.
In addition to a ginkgo grown from a seed sourced from a survivor tree in Hiroshima, the party also planted a plantanu sapling.
Photo: courtesy of UK/Ireland Chapter