We have some amazing news to share with you! It’s been under press embargo until today (!), but we can finally share our announcement. You may already have seen this in the national press this morning!
You may remember that the iconic Sycamore Gap tree was illegally cut down last September. Earlier this year, the National Trust managed to rescue 49 saplings from the tree, and they have been searching for places around the country for these to grow. We are thrilled to let you know that Greenlands has been chosen as a home for one of these saplings!
Our school was chosen because of the environmental work we’ve done, both in school and across Rotherham, as part of the “Rewilding Rotherham Award” that we launched last year. The sapling is currently in a National Trust nursery, being prepared for planting next Autumn.
This is big news nationally; the National Trust’s first press release has gone out today, and the story has been featured on the BBC and in the Guardian this morning:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78d20p3xd0o
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/clyj0jk2myvo
As you’ll see in those articles, we’re in good company; other sites that have been chosen include the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. In coming months, each of the 49 locations (including ours!) will be featured in National Trust press releases. We’re also expecting that we may have some local press interest in the story. We’re incredibly proud to have been chosen for something with so much national significance, and we’ve been itching to let you know. Please feel free to spread the word! We will of course keep you updated about the process between now and next Autumn.
