The planting ceremony of the Bombed Kaki Tree Jr of Nagasaki was held on April 12 at Barracks Lane Community Garden in East Oxford.

May I please thank everyone who attended, and all those who gave their good wishes on this very special occasion?

This Kaki tree is the extraordinary descendent of a tree that survived the atomic blast at Nagasaki in 1945 (70 years ago this year), and such trees are planted around the world as symbols of peace and healing.

The weather couldn’t have been better, and we were privileged to have representatives of Oxford CND, Quakers, and COFEPOW (Children of Far East Prisoners of War) present.

Hiroko Kato, from the Kaki Tree Executive Committee, travelled all the way from Japan to be with us. In her speech Hiroko Kato suggested we all meet again in 10 years time, around a mature tree. Until then, visit Barracks Lane Community Garden and join us as we watch this very special tree as it grows.

DANIEL EMLYN-JONES
Divinity Road, Oxford