Park Lane Stable's silver birch received from Her Late Majesty planted at Teddington Pool
The Teddington and Richmond borough community united this morning for the official planting of Park Lane Stable's silver birch, a special tree awarded to the charity by Her Late Majesty.
A spectacular 21-metre 'Tree of Trees' sculpture which featured 350 British native trees planted as part of The Queen's Green Canopy (QGC), formed an exciting centrepiece of The Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, designed by British architect Thomas Heatherwick.
The first 18 trees which starred in the jubilee celebrations were then awarded to 18 organisations working to serve their communities in greater London.
Park Lane Stable's Cathy Cooper, Sarah Meagher and Mahmoud AlNaffakh accepted the royal honour from the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London at a ceremony at Chelsea's Royal Hospital in October last year and members of the stables united again this morning with representatives from Richmond Council including the Mayor of Richmond, Cllr Julia Cambridge, Twickenham MP, Munira Wilson and Council leader, Cllr Gareth Roberts at the Teddington Pool and Fitness Centre as the silver birch was planted at its permanent home.
Addressing those in attendance, Park Lane Stable's Cathy Cooper said: "I've learnt one thing being a volunteer at Park Lane Stables, if Natalie (owner of Park Lane Stables) asks you what you're doing on a certain date just be very wary!
"Last September she sent me a text asking what I was doing on the 3rd of October, I thought lovely she must be inviting me for supper! Little did I know I would be picking up a tree from central London.
"Nevertheless, it turned out to be a very special tree and I was delighted to attend alongside Sarah and Mahmoud and talk to all the wonderful charitable organisations about the work we do here in Teddington, it's a truly special moment permanently marking the success of the stables today."
Reflecting on this morning's official tree planting, Jane Mawer, a trustee at Park Lane Stables, added: "We feel hugely privileged and it brings our story back to the forefront of people's minds, raising the money, saving the stables and then being recognised by the Queen before she sadly passed, it pays testament to the wonderful work carried out here at Park Lane Stables, Teddington is our home and we all love what we do here."
In May last year, Natalie O'Rourke released her book, Only Heroes and Horses, the extraordinary tale of the £1 million campaign that was launched to secure the stables future over the course of seven days during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The campaign gained national media attention which also led to a letter from Buckingham Palace being sent to the Stables inviting both members and staff to visit Her Majesty's Horses.
In June, the Park Lane Stables' volunteers also received a life-time Queen's Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS).
Philippa George has been a member of the stable's team since 2011 and spoke to Nub News about what it means to be a member of the team this morning.
The 26-year-old said: "Park Lane Stables means so much to me, ever since I joined back in 2011 I knew immediately that I would be here for a very long time, there is such a community feel here with positivity and warmth, I've got a real family here and it's wonderful to see the stables receive the recognition it deserves."
Natalie and her son Woody were absent from this morning's tree planting event as they spoke to Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on ITV's This Morning to help raise awareness for World Down Syndrome Day which can be viewed below.
To discover more on Park Lane Stables and the work they carry out as a charitable organisation in Teddington, visit their site here.
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