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A delegation representing Queen Elizabeth II will visit Amarillo and Canyon on Sept. 9 and will leave behind a living reminder of their stop at West Texas A&M University.
Her Majesty’s Consul General Richard Hyde and senior staff from the British Consulate in Houston will plant a seedling on the south lawn of WT’s Old Main, the oldest building on campus, at noon Sept. 9.
The planting is in conjunction with the Queen’s Green Canopy, a global sustainability initiative to plant trees. Consul General Hyde will plant a tree at each stop of a 2,500-mile road trip to north and east Texas, as well as side trips to Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
“The aim of this tour is to focus on cities outside the ‘Texas Triangle’ of Houston, Dallas and Austin/San Antonio,” Hyde said. “This will enable us to engage with a wide range of politically influential and economically important communities and groups. Whilst honouring Her Majesty’s 70th year on the throne and enhancing the environment with tree plantings, we also hope to demonstrate that the UK is a modern and dynamic partner of Texas, a leading centre of culture, music and sport and a world class centre of innovation and science.”
The route is nearly three times the length of the United Kingdom. It follows a 2021 trip, also approximately 2,500 miles in length, through south and west Texas.
“We are pleased to welcome our British friends to our beautiful campus, and we are honored that we were selected to receive this gift from the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative,” said WT President Walter V. Wendler. “Our sustained commitment to environmental stewardship is recognized throughout the state and nation
Along with the tree planting ceremonies, the team will also host town hall style pop-up consulates to meet with local businesses, civic and political leaders, and other interested groups. The meetings will highlight the close economic links that the U.K. has with the state of Texas and celebrate some Great British food and drink.
The British delegation will be promoting investment opportunities between Texas and the U.K., with exports from Texas to the U.K. amounting to more than $10 billion in 2018, with a combination of events helping to support a range of U.K. interests across business, trade, defense, education and other sectors.
The tour, which comes 180 years after the U.K. government first appointed a representative to Texas, also is a chance to mark the U.K.’s continuing commitment to enduring relationships, mutual prosperity and extensive security cooperation with long-standing and close allies.
The Amarillo/Canyon tour stop also will include meetings with the Amarillo Economic Development Corp. and the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce.
Establishing connections with global leaders ties into the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.
That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched Sept. 23 — has raised more than $110 million.