August 6th and 9th mark 75 years since atomic bombs fell on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was the first and only time nuclear weapons were used in wartime.
In 2015, to mark the 70th anniversary, the global Mayors for Peace organisation sent Shetland Islands Council seeds from Ginko trees which had survived the Hiroshima blast. The Council has been a member since 2003. The seeds were planted and have been cared for by the Shetland Amenity Trust’s Woodlands Team.
To mark the 75th anniversary, the Council and the Amenity Trust had intended to plant a tree at the Jubilee Flower Park in Lerwick. However, given the restrictions on public gatherings due to the COVID pandemic, the decision has been taken to do this at a later date.
Malcolm Bell is Convener of Shetland Islands Council: “Mayors for Peace promotes peace, harmony and tolerance in 164 countries right across the world, and now more than ever these ideals ring true. No one should ever suffer as the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki did, and we support the call for the eventual abolition of all nuclear weapons.
“Ideally we should have been able to come together to mark this anniversary, but that just isn’t prudent at the moment. I look forward to better days when we can plant a tree for peace, wishing friendship, goodwill and cooperation across the world.”