SERVICE personnel have received a prestigious award after planting hundreds of trees at RAF St Mawgan in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Sarah Kretowicz, RAF St Mawgan’s health, safety and environmental adviser and VIVO Defence Services southwest grounds’ maintenance team have been given a Special Air Environmental Award.

RAF commanders presented the accolade to Sarah and VIVO’s Southwest grounds maintenance manager Andrew Tregunna at a special ceremony held on July 11 through the Green Canopy initiative to mark Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Andrew along with VIVO’s arboricultural specialist Gavin Aplin helped develop a proposal to plant more than 300 mixed fruit trees at RAF St Mawgan as part of the facilities management provider’s remit to look after maintenance on military bases across the southwest.

Sarah set about organising a station-wide community event to carry out the planting in four different locations after RAF St Mawgan Station Commander, Wg Cdr Helen Simpson approved the work.

VIVO helped in the planning and securing of funds for the event before its grounds’ maintenance team pre-dug holes for the trees using a mini digger. 

Volunteers from military families near the base and other armed forces personnel worked alongside the VIVO team to get all the trees planted during the event. A further 200 mixed broad leaf trees were then planted as a shelter belt to protect one of the newly created orchards from the strong Atlantic winds.

Today, RAF St Mawgans whole force, along with children from Airplay Cornwall, staff from the Eden project, National Wildflower Centre, and Vivo Defence helped plant 370 fruit trees at 4 sites across the estate as part of the Queen green Canopy initiative. The newly planted orchards with officially unvailed by Councillor Martyn Alvey, Cabinet member for environment and climate change and the Station Commander, Wing Commander Marshall Kinnear.
VIVO’s Andrew Tregunna with military families at RAF ST Magan as they all work together planting the trees (Cpl Andrew Morris RAF)

Wg Cdr Simpson said: “I am very proud of the Station being recognised for its work in delivering the QGC planting honouring Her late Majesty’s reign and creating a living memorial.   

“Much hard work was put into achieving this and to have our personnel and industry partners recognised by Air with a Special Air Environmental Award is incredible.  

“The Platinum Orchard, as the planted areas are collectively known, will grow and produce fruit, giving our wholeforce personnel and their families, who joined in with the planting initiative, a place to enjoy nature and the produce for many years to come.” 

Plenty to see around RAF St Mawgan for Chair of the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Nature Partnership, the Rt Hon Lord Robin Teverson; Lady Terrye Teverson; and Jane Hartley DL. A whistlestop visit today gave them the opportunity to see the work the Station is doing to support biodiversity across its estate, and to talk to many of the personnel involved. From swathes of ‘No Mow May’ land to the Queen’s Green Canopy planting sites; Rosewarne Apiary Station beehives (and honey!) to hedgehog release sites in support of Prickles & Paws, we’re working hard with our grounds maintenance partners, VIVO, to make the most of land around us. We dropped-in to our regular Friday ‘Bakes & Brews’ where our visitors chatted to personnel in-depth and viewed footage captured from wildlife cameras across the estate, and wrapped up with a tour of the polytunnels and Community Garden area, which has rejuvenated a piece of wasteland that, years ago, housed our Main Guardroom and Control of Entry point.
A visit to the station from Lord Robin Teverson in his capacity as the Chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Nature Partnership. (left to right - WO Darrel Keane (RAF St Mawgan station warrant officer), Tim Scott (RAF St Mawgan station labourer), Jane Hartley DL (deputy Lieutenant). The Rt Hon Lord Robin Teverson (chair of CIoS Local Nature Partnership). Lady Terrye Teverson’ Sarah Kretowicz (RAF St Mawgan station health, safety and environmental advisor), Andrew Tregunna (VIVO’s southwest grounds maintenance manager) Wg Cdr Helen Simpson MA BSc (Hons) RAF (RAF St Mawgan station commander) (Cpl Tom Cann RAF)

Andrew added: “I am really proud and pleased to have won this award alongside our MoD colleagues. My team are committed to championing and improving sustainability as part of our work looking after greenspaces on military bases, so this means a lot to us.”

VIVO Defence’s operations director Amanda Hill said: “Well done to Andrew, Sarah and everyone who worked together as such a great team. We at VIVO want to make sure that sustainability is front and centre of everything we do, and I am pleased that we worked so closely with the base and military families to bring about this great tree planting initiative.”