Keele University Commemorates 75th Anniversary with 300th Cherry Tree Planting

A university has planted its 300th cherry tree in anticipation of spring blooms and warmer weather. Keele University, home to one of the United Kingdom’s most extensive collections of flowering cherry trees, stated that this recent planting commemorates its 75th anniversary. The cherry blossoms draw visitors and uplift the spirits of both students and staff, including Toshihiko Kitagawa, a lecturer in Japanese. Mr. Kitagawa expressed pleasant surprise upon his arrival at the university four years prior, discovering trees that evoked memories of his homeland. “We have a special emotional attachment to cherry trees and every spring we go out and celebrate. It’s a part of our culture,” he said. In Japan, the cherry blossom season traditionally signals the arrival of spring, and the nation is renowned for its cherry tree gardens. Mr Kitagawa told the BBC that in Japan the cherry trees were “like a rose to the English people. It’s very symbolic”. According to a Keele University spokesperson, the initial ornamental grounds were established on the campus in the 1940s. Its National Collection currently encompasses approximately 230 distinct varieties of cherry trees spread across the 600-acre campus. They further noted that some rare trees and samples have since been contributed to nurseries and botanical gardens, such as Kew. Kayo Iwakami, the cultural attaché from the Embassy of Japan in the UK, participated in last month’s ceremony by planting the sapling and joining others in commemorating the university’s anniversary. “I really love cherry trees, especially in spring,” she said. “But I was surprised because there are so many cherry trees in this university, so I came here to celebrate with them.” Dave Emley, curator of Keele’s Cherry Collection, said of spring: “Wherever you walk you come across these lovely carpets of pink and white.” “Or course in the autumn time we get the coloured leaves as well so we get lots or reds and oranges and so on.” “So at the two ends of the year it’s really very pretty.”