Jubilee oak planted in park

The Lord Lieutenant, Mrs Joan Christie, joined the Mayor, Alderman William Leathem in the planting of a Jubilee Oak, near the refurbished bandstand.

Elected members of Lisburn City Council; the Chief Executive, Mr Norman Davidson; the Director of Corporate Services, Mr Adrian Donaldson and the Director of Environmental Services, Mr Colin McClintock were also in attendance.

The Mayor welcomed the Lord Lieutenant, who has attended the vast majority of the Council-organised Diamond Jubilee events to the tree planting, and said: “Our Diamond Jubilee events have provided us with wonderful memories.

“We wanted to create a tribute to Her Majesty that would last for many generations and hope that the planting of this ceremonial Oak Tree, and the subsequent planting of a Jubilee Wood at the end of this month, which will see our Diamond Jubilee events come to an end will do just that.

“I am particularly pleased to carry out today’s tree planting because Her Majesty The Queen visited Wallace Park in 1945. She met and inspected various youth organisations that were here to greet her on her visit. The Queen was then the Princess Elizabeth and was accompanied by her father, King George V1. So our tree planting ceremony today is a mark of the legacy the Queen has provided throughout her reign.

“The Queen’s second visit to Lisburn was in 1953.

“I would like to thank the Council Officers who have been involved in today’s tree planting ceremony,” the Mayor concluded.