A ceremony in the Children’s Garden in Glasgow’s Botanic Gardens on Saturday 21st November saw local Greenpeace members and members of the public plant an apple tree in support of the villagers of Sipson, the village in Middlesex under threat if the proposed third runway at Heathrow airport goes ahead.
Last week celebrities and politicians planted an apple orchard on the runway site as a mark of opposition to the plans for a new runway, and Saturday’s planting of an apple tree in Glasgow’s West End was a symbol of solidarity with the residents of Sipson.
The Cox apple was first bred near Sipson in the 1850s by Richard Cox, who is buried on the site earmarked for a new runway. The planting of the orchard represented the re-introduction of the breed into the area and was designed to act as a potent symbol of the local community’s determination to stop the runway and save their homes and schools. Now the Botanic Gardens have their own apple tree to show the people of Sipson they have support up and down the country in the fight to save their community, and save the climate.
Jake Wilson of Greenpeace said:
“We have planted an apple tree in the Children’s Garden which is twinned with the new apple orchard on the runway site. The people in Sipson have fought a brave campaign to save their village from the bulldozers, and to save our environment from the climate-wrecking effects of a new runway at Heathrow. We hope their orchard will be bearing fruit in years to come, instead of being under tarmac, and as long as their orchard stands then we hope our tree in Glasgow will grow as well, and show that people here care about the environment.”
Actors Alison Steadman and Richard Briers, politicians including Nick Clegg, local residents and poet laureate Carol-Ann Duffy planted the orchard in Sipson, while Alain De Botton – who was famously recruited by BAA to spend a week at Heathrow and write about his experiences – has adopted a Cox apple tree in the orchard. They were joined by the Woodland Trust, RSPB, WWF, the World Development Movement and other groups representing a total of three million members.
The orchard was planted on the third runway site on land purchased by Greenpeace from under the noses of BAA and the Government earlier this year. The plot was then offered to members of the public. Nearly 60,000 people from across the world now co-own the land targeted by BAA’s bulldozers.
An expanded Heathrow would become the single biggest source of CO2 in the U.K. and threaten what chance we have to slashing our emissions and Britain playing its part in beating climate change.
Over the next few weeks Cox apple trees are going to be planted in communities across the country and twinned with the orchard in Sipson. MPs of all shades will be invited to join planting ceremonies.
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