A partnership, part of the British Pakistan Foundation’s Legacy Project, was launched recently at the Pakistan High Commission. Attendees included the High Commissioner of Pakistan in the UK, HE Moazzam Ahmad Khan, members of the Executive Commit-tee of the Legacy Project, the British Pakistan Foundation, The Queen’s Green Canopy, the National Trust and members of the British Pakistani community.
The Legacy Project was created to mark 75 years since the foundation of the independent country of Pakistan, and to celebrate the British Pakistani community. This project aims to promote unity and pride in communities across the country and to contribute to a greener and brighter legacy for future generations in the UK.
Asif Rangoonwala, Chairperson of the British Pakistan Foundation, said: “Initiatives like the Legacy Project are why we started an organisation like British Pakistan Foundation in the first place. It’s taken us a while to get there but this is the first time, we have different British Paki-stani organisations working together to deliver a unified message. A message of community, collaboration, and hope.
“We aim to plant 7,500 trees to honour the efforts of those before us and leave a brighter leg-acy for future generations. I encourage all British Pakistanis to join the movement and I hope this is only the start of more collaborative efforts to come.”
The 7,500 trees that will be planted through the partnership are a mix of 14 species of trees including oak, beech and crab apple, and will be located in: Nymans, West Sussex; White Peak, Peak District; and Wallington, Morpeth near Newcastle. The trees will start to be plant-ed from October this year. Certain trees will be reserved for events with the British Pakistan community in cities including Birmingham, Bradford, Glasgow, and Manchester.
John Deakin, Head of Trees and Woodland at the National Trust said:“We are hugely grateful for this gift from the British Pakistani Community. The 7,500 new trees that we’ll plant with the donation will leave an important mark on the landscape,
helping bring back dwindling wildlife, tackling the climate crisis and providing places for re-freshment and relaxation. In another 75 years, these trees will be used and enjoyed by future generations; a fitting legacy to mark this significant anniversary.”
H.E. Moazzam Ahmad Khan, High Commissioner for Pakistan to the UK, also commented on the launch: “The Legacy Project celebrates as well as recognizes the constructive contribution of British Pakistanis in the economic, social and political life of the UK over the last 75 years. As Pakistan observes its 75th independence anniversary and the UK & Pakistan celebrate 75 years of togetherness, this Project will prove a befitting testimony to the strength and depth of our relations and a tribute to the immense promise & potential of the dynamic British Pakistani Diaspora bridge.
“Among the wide array of activities, I am particularly excited that the Legacy Project aspires to plant 7,500 saplings across the UK in support of Her Majesty, The Queen’s Green Canopy Initiative to mitigate climate change. Let this be our common gift to the coming generations for a future that is shared, sustainable, enduring & prosperous.”
The National Trust is coordinating seventy projects across England, Wales and Northern Ire-land as part of its contribution to The Queen’s Green Canopy. They range in size from small-scale individual tree plantings where there is some significance to the property or landscape, to those where the Trust is recreating notable, historic, lost avenues of trees.
