THE borough council said it was “saddened” to find a tree planted in a Basingstoke park to commemorate The Queen’s platinum jubilee has been removed.

The Japanese cherry tree was planted in War Memorial Park earlier this year as part of The Queen’s green Canopy (QGC).

Read more: New £81,600 play park opens in Basingstoke

The initiative was created to mark Her Majesty’s jubilee this year and invited people across the United Kingdom to ‘plant a tree for the jubilee’.

The idea is to encourage groups, organisations and individuals to play their part to enhance the environment by planting trees to create a legacy in honour of The Queen’s leadership, which will benefit future generations.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council also planted a Turkish hazel tree in War Memorial Park, located near the play park to “provide a place for families to enjoy some shade while visiting the park during the summer months”.

The council said it was “saddened” to find the Japanese cherry tree had been removed and added: “We will replace the tree in the autumn, but it is disappointing that the young tree has been targeted in this way.”

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story. We really appreciate your support.

Please help us to continue bringing you all the trusted news from Basingstoke by sharing this story or by following our Facebook page.

Kimberley Barber