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A tree grown at the University of Winchester from seeds that survived the nuclear attacks on Japan at the end of the Second World War has a new home.
The Ginkgo sapling was planted the courtyard at Barton Farm Primary Academy on Armistice Day (11 November) by the Mayor of Winchester, Cllr Sudhakar Achwal, accompanied by the University’s Vice Chancellor Professor Sarah Greer and the CEO of University of Winchester Academy Trust, Nicola Wells. Barton Farm is part of the University of Winchester Academy Trust.
They were watched by invited guests and pupils from the School Council and invited guests including the Mayoress of Winchester Cllr Vivian Achwal; Paul Williams of Mayors for Peace; Stephen Cooper (SGI-UK); Cllr Jane Rutter who represents Barton Farm on the city council; Mark Butcher, President of Winchester Rotary; and Luke Addison of PeaceJam.
The Ginkgo Tree Project a collaboration between the University, the Winchester Mayoralty and Winchester members of Buddhist charity SGI-UK, was launched in 2021 to promote peace, anti-bullying and sustainability in schools.
As well as being on Armistice Day, the planting ceremony coincided with Anti-Bullying Week whose theme this year is ‘Power for Good’.
The seeds were offered as a symbol of peace by Mayors for Peace International, an organisation based in Hiroshima where the first atomic bomb was dropped.
They come from a 250-year-old ginkgo tree, which grows less than a mile from the epicentre of the atomic blast which destroyed the city on 6 August 1945.
Following the explosion and subsequent fires, new buds sprouted from the tree’s charred and distorted trunk.
Over the last four years the seeds have been tended by Maurice James, Estates Grounds Manager at the University and four germinated and grew into saplings. Barton Farm’s is the first to be planted out. In March 2024. Maurice received 20 more seeds to continue the project.
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Guests with staff and pupils of Barton Farm Primary Academy at the planting ceremony
Speaking at the planting ceremony the mayor, said: “Mayors for Peace is dedicated to assuring such destruction is never repeated and we look forward to a future where young people can grow up free from the shadow of nuclear weapons. This tree is a powerful symbol of that shared mission.”
Professor Greer said: “At a time when there’s such a lot of conflict and worry in the world, it is wonderful to be doing something as positive as this.
She said that the tree would “always be a reminder of the enduring strength and resilience of the human spirit and of the power of peace”.
The Vice-Chancellor added that alongside Ginkgo Tree Project, the University has developed linked learning resources for schools covering war and peace, anti-bullying, and nature.
Nicola Wells said: “We are delighted to be the custodian of such a special tree – a symbol of strength.”
She said the tree would be a daily reminder of how resilient they can be to many generations of pupils and staff to come.
Known as a "living fossil," the Ginkgo is one of the oldest living tree species on Earth and is the last survivor of a group of trees that existed before the dinosaurs. Fossils of Ginkgo leaves have been discovered that date back more than 200 million years.
The oldest known individual ginkgo tree is estimated to be around 3,500 years old.
Pictured top: The University's Estates Grounds Manager Maurice James with his expert planting team - Mayor of Winchester, Cllr Sudhakar Achwal, University Vice Chancellor Professor Sarah Greer and the CEO of the University of Winchester Academy Trust, Nicola Wells.
Photographs by Dominic Parkes
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