Cranmore Integrated Primary School, Belfast
Date: 8 March 2007
No. of trees planted: 626
No. of people involved: 230
It was a dull and cloudy morning when we arrived at Cranmore Integrated Primary School in Belfast. The weather didn’t change throughout the day, but the difference on the school grounds after our planting session was remarkable.
A mix of 625 native trees, including hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, rowan and ash formed a 70m hedge along a boundary fence, which was previously rather bare. During the day, the whole school came out and took part in the hedge planting, which explained the slightly chaotic but successful operation!
At the end of the day, we dug a large hole for a pedunculate oak (cranmore means “big tree” in Irish) in the very stony school ground – hard work indeed!. While this was being planted, the principal gave a speech on the idea of an integrated school and took the growing tree as a symbol for the increasing number of people who support a closer understanding between different communities.