Manchester Airport celebrates its regional roots with 80 oak trees up for grabs
Communities across the region are being given the chance to apply for a commemorative oak tree and time capsule as part of Manchester Airport’s 80th birthday celebrations.
The UK’s third largest airport announced earlier in the year its intention to plant 80 oak trees to mark the milestone, as part of a wider programme of activity.
Oak symbolises 80 years and the airport is searching for local organisations that would like to have a tree planted in their grounds to join the celebrations. The English Oak is one of the best known native trees, with the gifted tree being 4-6ft tall before growing up to a magnificent 130ft tall with a broad crown and open canopy allowing light to seep through to the ground below.
Each successful applicant will also get a special time capsule to plant alongside the tree, which will come with an item from Manchester Airport, such as an 80th birthday commemorative badge, and can then be filled with items of their choice. With the usual lifespan of an oak tree being around 200 years, and some living over 1,000 years, the time capsule will be a fantastic opportunity to leave a lasting legacy for future generations.
Applications are welcome from a wide range of organisations, from schools to sports clubs and charities to community centres.
Tricia Williams, COO at Manchester Airport, said: “It is really fitting that oak symbolises 80 years, as we are really proud of our regional roots, at the same time as helping Manchester and the North branch out around the world.
“We hope to see applications from a wide range of organisations, from community groups to nursing homes, and schools to village halls, we’re looking forward to celebrating 80 years in these wonderful community spaces.”
Organisations wishing to plant a tree should email community.relations@manairport.co.uk with their name and organisation name, telephone number, email address, where they would like to plant the tree and why, and if they would like a time capsule. An airport representative will assist with all tree plantings.
Successful applicants will be notified in September, with trees being available to plant from October.
Manchester Airport is the UK’s global gateway in the North with 28 million passengers and more than 220 destinations. Its extensive catchment area extends north through the Lake District into Scotland; east across Yorkshire and the North East; south to Birmingham and the Midlands; and west into Merseyside and Wales.
As the hub celebrates its 80th year, it has added a wealth of routes that in the UK can only be found in Manchester or London. These include Mumbai (Jet Airways) and Addis Ababa (Ethiopian Airlines). These come off the back of recent additions such as San Francisco, Boston, Beijing and Houston.