14 May 2026
Three Japanese cherry trees planted in the grounds of St Peter’s, one of St Albans’ ancient gateway churches, were part of an initiative to foster greater friendship and cultural understanding between Japan and the UK.
More than 40 people from St Albans and further afield met in the churchyard alongside a strong contingent of Japanese ladies, some dressed in beautiful kimonos with obi sashes.
The origins of the day stretch back many years when residents of nearby Clifton Street provided the churchyard with eight standard “Kanzan “and “Schmitii” trees. Over time only five of the original trees survived and so, following from previous plantings in the churchyard, campaign group Trees of St Albans, began the process of getting the missing trees reinstated.
Dreams quickly became reality after they discovered the Sakura Project initiative – which has gifted 10,000 cherry trees to schools and parks across the UK.
Within a short time, key parties agreed that the churchyard’s Cherry Tree Walk should return to its former glory.
The Sakura Project provided the quality cherry trees from a site in Worcestershire where they were grown. St Peter’s Church provided essential facilities such as water to establish the trees in their first years and St Albans district council arranged for the trees to be dug into the ground.
Speeches and readings were at the heart of the event, which was boosted by artistic performances.
Stefania Vinci, one of the organisers and a local resident, began by reading a Haiku:
“Two lands, oceans apart
Oak and cherry bloom as one
Bound by shared sunrise.”
Rev Cannon Mark Dearnley, Vicar of St Peter’s, spoke about the organic nature of this precious space and how it had the enduring capacity to help grow and renew the human spirit. After blessing the trees, he asked two school children (Eve and Mani) from the local Alban City School to share their thoughts on Sakura, which means cherry blossom, in the form of the tree itself, or the notion of renewal or the transience of life.
The Secretary General of the Sakura Project, Mrs Chizuko Winter, said: “Everywhere the project planted cherry trees people were so pleased to have them as a gift from Japan”.
Amanda Yorwerth from St Albans Friends of the Earth added that it ws a joyous occasion marking the planting of two Tai Haku and one Beni Yutaka specimens.
The formal highlight of the event came when, as a long-lasting record of Sakura’s donation and its linked values, Mrs Winter presented commemorative certificates to St Peter’s Church.
The planting was also attended by St Albans Mayor Cllr Teresa Heritage she was grateful to the gardeners and volunteers who have kept the garden the way it looks today. She emphasised the importance of green spaces around the district and the work of maintaining them by many ecological and environmental groups. She was particularly pleased that her family had visited Japan several times and had found the experience delightful and rewarding.
The cultural importance of the day was underlined by the prescence of Ms Kayo Iwakami from the Japanese Embassy, and to the delight of attendees, the Japanese guests formed a line facing the new trees and sang the traditional folk melody ‘Sakura, Sakura’, one of the songs used in Japan each year to mark the appearance of cherry blossoms, one of the two Japanese national flowers.
After the planting attendees were invited to the Church Octagon where Kate Bretherton, author of the book ‘Remarkable Trees of St Albans’ and Stefania Vinci, who is a co-founder of St Albans Litter Pickers community group, hosted a light lunch.
Stefania added: “This has been a fantastic project and is an example of bringing communities together, which is really good for everyone involved.”
Words by Stefania Vinci and Anthony Helm, photos by Matt Fisher
