Students on Hartpury College’s Level 3 Extended Diploma in Uniformed Protective Services joined Principal, Professor Andy Collop, along with Matthew Newman (Grounds Manager at Hartpury) and John Perry (Facilities Director at Hartpury) to unveil a special plaque to mark a new tree that’s been planted as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy.
The Queen’s Green Canopy is a unique, UK-wide tree planting initiative originally created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee by inviting people to ‘plant a tree for the Jubilee’. The scheme aims to create a living legacy through a network of individual trees, avenues, copses and whole woodlands in honour of the late Queen. Schools and organisations have been encouraged to plant trees wherever they can.
Students Zara Davies, Ayden Le Roux, and Jasmine Fishwick joined staff members in the garden adjacent to the historic Hartpury House, where several other plaques have been placed over the years.
Hartpury purchased the plaque from the Royal British Legion, with 100% of proceeds going to fund RBLI’s work to support veterans and those with disabilities. The Corten steel plaques are still available to purchase from RBLI, each made by Armed Forces veterans.
Professor Andy Collop, Vice-Chancellor, Principal, and CEO of Hartpury said: “I feel very proud to stand alongside our Uniformed Protective Services students to reveal this very special plaque and I’m thrilled that we were also able to show our support for veterans by purchasing the plaque from our friends at the Royal British Legion.
“The Queen’s Green Canopy is a superb idea and we’re actively planting trees across campus to play our part. More trees planted right across the country helps to futureproof our countryside, as well as creating and sustaining habitats for wildlife and creating cleaner air for us all. Indeed, our own estate provides an excellent example of British wildlife and conservation, for students on our Zoology and Animal Behaviour and Welfare degrees to learn from as part of their studies.”
The initiative has been extended to run until the end of the tree planting season in March, with more than one million trees already planted.
Hartpury College’s Uniformed Protective Services (UPS) diploma is a proven route into a career in the armed and blue-light services, with 96% of UPS students progressing on to university, further study, or employment (Hartpury 2022).
Utilising links with the British Army, RAF, Royal Navy, Royal Marines, police, ambulance and fire services, students learn through a variety of academy, practical and placement-based sessions to develop their hands-on skills and confidence. Local links with the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service and Gloucestershire Constabulary have helped to provide many work placement opportunities for students.
Aiden Le Roux, first year Uniformed Protective Services student said: “We study everything from teamwork, leadership, and communication, to understanding why people think and act the way they do. The theory is all linked to practical sessions so we can see it in action. I want to join the Navy as an officer and this course is preparing me for that.”
Picture: from left: Zara Davies, John Perry, Matt Newman, Andy Collop, Aiden Le Roux, Jasmine Fishwick.
