SGI-UK (Soka Gakkai International – UK) National Centre, Taplow Court stands atop a hill beside the River Thames. It is about 30 minutes away from the Heathrow Airport by car, and a “historic building” considered a national heritage by the UK government. Since its opening in 1989, it has been hosting peace exhibitions, art festivals and family festivals. Locals enter and leave the house freely, and love this historic building. There is a library inside the house which displays its history (owners in the past, etc.) and related material.
The “sapling from the bombed kaki tree” was planted in the “Garden of Remeberance” in its vast grounds.
Mrs. Katja Bailey, a friend of Yoriko Miyajima from the Kaki Tree Project head office, lives in London and took the initiative in the planting at Thameside Primary School. She also introduced the Project to Mr. Phil Rollingson, Head Gardener, so Mr. Rollingson applied.
Many children and their parents attended the tree planting ceremony. They displayed big “MEET THE KAKI TREE” letters and photos of fully grown kaki fruit on the brick wall at the planting site.
A lady from the “Youth Peace Committee” and Yoriko Miyajima made speeches, and then Mr. Rollingson read the message for Dr. Ebinuma.
Children put soil over the tree roots with a shovel in turn. A nice gold plate was embedded in the brick wall for the kaki tree and two children representatives unveiled it. They introduced a child’s poem and watered the tree in turn from a dipper decorated with a ribbon. Then, everyone joined in the group photo.
Then they moved inside the house, and about 20 children did a theater performance. They brilliantly played the piece which described a story of a weakened kaki tree due to the atomic bomb became strong and well with full of hope. At the end, each child and the Youth Division member who instructed the performance expressed their determination to conclude the performance.
Lastly, everyone moved to the vast lawn and made a circle with Mr. Rollingson standing in the center. Many children who did not participate in the earlier theater performance also came along. Each child held red, blue and yellow balloons in their hand and counted down to release the balloons up into the sky. The children cheered and sent off the balloons of three colors in the sky. It was a great ceremony.
