Hackney schoolchildren mark two ‘special milestones’ by planting trees at Olympic Park

Mossbourne pupils with local councillors Chris Kennedy and Jessica Webb. Photograph: LLDC

A group of Hackney schoolchildren recently marked both the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the 10th anniversary of the London Olympics with a tree-planting session.

The pupils from Mossbourne Riverside Academy were joined by Hackney councillors Chris Kennedy and Jessica Webb for the celebration at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The youngsters were all born in 2012 – the year the Games came to the capital.

Tarah,10, said on the day: “It’s really fun to be planting this tree in my favourite park for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

“I really enjoy coming to the park with my friends and family and it is so exciting that it’s 10 years since the Games.”

The session is one of a number of celebrations taking place at the park this year. The Great Get Together, a festival featuring dance, music, art and sports, is coming up on 23 July, followed by a smaller-scale ‘Celebrating 10 Years’ festival.

The tree-planting was part of the Queen’s Green Canopy – a project encouraging people across the country to “plant a tree for the Jubilee”.

Cllrs Kennedy and Webb said: “We are extremely pleased with the changes that have taken place at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the surrounding areas over the last 10 years.”

They praised the park as a “beautiful place to come and relax”, and said they were “really proud” of the children who helped plant the trees.

Lyn Garner, chief executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said it was “fantastic” to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Olympics and the Platinum Jubilee in the same year.

She added that it was “so lovely” to local children born in 2012 planting the trees with local councillors to celebrate two “very special milestones”.