Ginkgo planted in Nottingham, UK

Report by Ms. Barbara Coulson, secretary of Nottingham CND

The Nottingham Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) thanks the Mayors for Peace Hibaku Tree project for enabling us to participate in this powerful commemorative project.

Local Councillor Dr Nayab Patel, the Peace Champion for Nottingham City Council, requested the seeds. The 20 Ginkgo Biloba seeds were received in June 2025. Nottingham Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament arranged with Nottingham City Council Plant Nursery to nurture the seeds until the saplings are ready to plant out.

The ceremonial planting took place on Hiroshima Day in 2025. The event was attended by 50-60 CND members and supporters, members of a local gardening group and employees at the plant nursery. Everyone was invited to look at and handle the seeds as they were so unusual and special, lots of photographs were taken. A few people blessed the seeds.

The seeds have proved difficult to germinate but there has been some progress. In November the first seedling was showing distinctive Ginkgo Biloba shaped leaves. However, it will be a long time before there is a sapling ready to plant out.

Nottingham CND also had a special 80^th anniversary exhibition for the week including Hiroshima and Nagasaki days. The exhibition contained a section on Hiroshima and Nagaski and invited people to leave a message in the form of cherry blossom. One of the messages read “If we can risk nuclear war, we can risk nuclear disarmament”. In these worrying times of world-wide disorder the message of peace and hope from The Hibakusha must be spread.