In March 2000, the Millennium Oakwood was planted. This was done by over 6,500 primary school children in the Isle of Man and I was one of them! Eighteen months earlier, the acorns were collected by school children in Worcestershire and distributed to the Isle of Man primary schools so every child could grow their own sapling.
Children were collected from every part of the Island by 69 Isle of Man Transport buses. Regular bus services were cancelled for the day. Three steam railway trains with ten coaches and five Manx Electric trams also transported children.
Children's television programme, "Blue Peter" sent a film crew and one of their presenters, Konnie Huq, over to the island on the day of planting. Every child was presented with a specially designed Mann 2000 woolly hat in a colour designated for their school (mine was pale yellow).
A song was specially written for the occasion by Marilyn Cannell to the tune of "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean". I still remember the chorus which goes:
I planted an acorn;
I hoped it would grow, as it should, it should.
I'm planting an oak tree,
To make a Millennium Wood.
Many thanks to DEFA for giving permission to place this cache.