New Diamond Jubilee Woodland in Whitehead
24 October 2011Carrickfergus Borough Council and the Woodland Trust are to create a living, lasting legacy in Whitehead to commemorate the 2012 Diamond Jubilee, marking Queen Elizabeth's 60th year as monarch. The 60 acre woodland near Bentra Golf Course to the north of Whitehead will open in June 2012. The planting of 60,000 trees will start in December 2011.
The Mayor of Carrickfergus, Alderman Jim McClurg, says: "The creation of this Diamond Wood brings a special opportunity for everyone to make a personal and lasting contribution to the landscape, while marking an historic event. Working with the Woodland Trust, we hope that as many people as possible - members of the public and schoolchildren - will take part in a series of events next spring."
"Within as little as 10 years, the trees will be towering over the tallest of walkers and we'll have a flourishing woodland, rich in wildlife. We envisage a fantastic natural resource for the benefit of local people and, of course, visitors en route to the Antrim coast."
The woodland is one of sixty new Diamond Woods - each 60 acres in size, plus hundreds of smaller Jubilee Woods are being created across the UK as part of the Woodland Trust's ambitious Jubilee Woods project. The aim is to plant 6 million trees and to involve millions of people in the planting.
For more information, go to www.carrickfergus.org/jubilee