Three Maltese young people who have completed The Duke of Edinburgh International Award planted a commemorative tree at Esplora Science Centre to mark Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday.
Organised jointly by Esplora, the Malta Council for Science and Technology and The British High Commission, the event also served the purpose of commemorating the life and legacy of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away in April this year.
It was Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who founded “The Duke of Edinburgh Award” in 1956. It is awarded to young people who complete the scheme which focusses on personal development and volunteer work in the community.
The youth programme made its way to Malta a few years later as part of the Duke of Edinburgh International Award. The legacy of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is very much alive in Malta with around 600 children and young people from local schools and non-governmental organisations completing The Duke of Edinburgh International Award every year.
Through this event, Esplora is also embracing The Queen’s Green Canopy initiative in honour of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 aimed at encouraging the planting of trees, thus enhancing our environment and the landscape for generations to come.
Dr Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, Executive Chairman of MCST and Esplora, said:
“Through this event, Esplora is also participating in ‘The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC)’ initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022. This invites people to Plant a Tree for the Jubilee, enhancing our environment by planting trees through to the end of the Jubilee year in 2022.
With a focus on planting sustainably, the QGC will encourage the planting of trees to create a legacy in honour of The Queen’s leadership, which will benefit future generations. With this initiative, Esplora would like to encourage others to commemorate this notable occasion – which is also marking the 75th year of Her Majesty as Head of the Commonwealth.”
Ms Catherine Ward, British High Commissioner to the Republic of Malta, said:
“Thank you to Esplora and the Malta Council for Science and Technology for enabling us to commemorate the Queen’s Birthday and what would have been the 100th birthday of HRH, by creating a symbol of his legacy here today.
Three Maltese Duke of Edinburgh Award recipients planting this tree is a reflection of the Duke of Edinburgh’s passion for supporting the development of young people and protecting the environment, central themes for the British Government. The UK will host the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), in Glasgow this November, where we hope the international community will make progress on collective climate ambitions.”
Hon. Minister Bartolo, Minister for European and Foreign Affairs, also joined the event, taking part in the tree planting activity.
Accompanied by Kenneth De Martino, Chairman of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation in Malta, the young International Award participants also engaged with various exhibits at Esplora.
Through these activities, they had the opportunity to explore themes such as water conservation, waste management and energy efficiency which are all pillars of the climate work of the Maltese and UK.
