HRH THE PRINCESS ROYAL TO VISIT THE FOREST

We have some exciting news! To mark the Forest being accredited by The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy project, we are honoured to be receiving a visit from HRH The Princess Royal in July.

Her Royal Highness will be meeting members of the Forest Team and Volunteers, as she is taken on a tour around parts of the Millennium Country Park, to see the Sensory Garden and Sand Martin Hide. Afterwards, she will be unveiling a plaque in our new Forest Shelter and planting a tree to mark us joining The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy. This tree will sit next to the tree planted a few years ago, by HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire Helen Nellis, to commemorate our Volunteers winning the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

We’d like to thank the Lord Lieutenant’s office for recommending us so highly to become a part of The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy – it’s a huge honour, and the fact that we’re part of a global project is incredible. We are very grateful to Deputy Lieutenant Ruth Bell MBE JP DL who championed our case. On hearing the news, Ruth Bell said:

I am absolutely thrilled – being a part of The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy is an amazing opportunity for future generations and puts Bedfordshire on the Commonwealth map. The seed was sown when I watched the original documentary ‘The Queen’s Green Planet’ with Sir David Attenborough and The Queen talking about her love for trees – I discussed my idea with the Lord Lieutenant about being a part of it, and the rest is history. I’m delighted for everyone that’s a part of the Forest, now and in the future.

We look forward to hosting Her Royal Highness later in the month and we will obviously keep you posted – watch this space!

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You can find out more about The Queen's Commonwealth Canopy on our blog post, or alternatively visit their website to see the amazing work that's being recognised all over the world.