South Yorkshire Mayor, Oliver Coppard, led a celebratory tree-planting event at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park last week, honouring the achievements of the region’s athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
This event formed part of The Mayor’s Million Trees campaign and saw the planting of 17 new trees across the Park, each representing a South Yorkshire medal winner from the Games. The Mayor was joined by Olympic diver Yasmin Harper and Paralympic badminton player Krysten Coombs, who each planted a tree in celebration of their success.
Students from Oasis Academy Don Valley also played a key role in the planting ceremony, helping to install the young trees, including a number of fruit trees which they will continue to care for in the coming months. The Y8 and Y9 students were chosen for their commitment to the academy’s eco-committee and sports leadership programmes, highlighting the opportunities the campaign offers to promote youth engagement and raise environmental awareness.
Local organisations, including the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust, The Conservation Volunteers, and Darnall Well Being, also supported the event, recognising the community’s commitment and collaborative approach to environmental initiatives. Cushman & Wakefield and PFM Group provided logistical support on the day, in addition to sourcing the trees and carrying out groundworks in advance.
Each tree is accompanied by a special plaque made from South Yorkshire steel and engraved by local company Dynamic Engrave & Print. The plaques display the details of each athlete, medal and sport:
- Bryony Page – Gold, Trampolining
- Dan Bethell – Silver, Para Badminton
- Harry Brown – Silver, Wheelchair Basketball
- Krysten Coombs – Silver, Para Badminton
- Lee Fryer – Silver, Wheelchair Basketball
- Rob Davies – Silver, Para Table Tennis
- Terry Bywater – Silver, Wheelchair Basketball
- Will Bayley – Silver, Para Table Tennis
- Becky Moody – Bronze, Dressage
- Billy Shilton – Bronze, Para Table Tennis
- Bly Twomey – Bronze, Para Table Tennis
- Cindy Ngamba – Bronze, Boxing
- Felicity Packard – Bronze, Para Table Tennis
- Lewis Richardson – Bronze, Boxing
- Louie Hinchcliffe – Bronze, Sprinting
- Paul Karabardak – Bronze, Para Table Tennis
- Yasmin Harper – Bronze, Diving
The Mayor’s Million Trees campaign aims to plant 1.4 million trees across the region and this event marked the reopening of the Free Trees for Communities scheme, calling on businesses and landowners across South Yorkshire to put forward ideas for large scale tree planting projects.
The Mayor said: “I’ve made no secret of the fact that I want to plant 1.4 million trees, one for every person who lives in South Yorkshire. Trees enrich our lives, sustain our communities and provide countless environmental benefits.
“That’s why I’m so proud to be planting these 17 trees to recognise the achievements of our South Yorkshire Olympic and Paralympic athletes at Paris this year. I know they’ll inspire our young aspiring athletes to stay near and go far.”
