Ancient Cambridge tree lit up for Coronation by pedal-power
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A 175-year-old pine tree is lit up by eco-bikes to highlight the King's commitment to green energy.
An ancient pine tree in Cambridge was lit up with 12,500 lights powered by eco-bikes during the King's Coronation Concert celebrations.
The black pine - Pinus nigra - at Cambridge University Botanic Garden is believed to be at least 175 years old.
The bikes were ridden by students, garden staff and volunteers to create a kinetic power display.
The display was part of a live sequence called Lighting Up The Nation, and took part at 10 locations across the UK.
The Cambridge display was intended to highlight the King's commitment to green energy and conservation, the garden said.
Its director, Beverley Glover, said being chosen as one of the locations was "a great honour".
"CUBG's tree collection dates back to the founding of the garden on this site and is the vision of our founder and Charles Darwin's mentor - John Stevens Henslow," she said.
"The Pinus nigra, black pine, is one of the first garden plantings and it is interesting because it was selected by Henslow to demonstrate how plants, even within the same species, can be different.
"Some species of black pine from warm climates hold their branches erect, while black pines from cold areas have sloping branches to allow snow to slide off them to limit the snow load on their branches and ensure the needles are free to photosynthesise."
The lighting on the tree was powered by cyclists drawn from Cambridge University institutions with links to His Majesty and representing areas of the university's work the King has interest in - Cambridge Zero, the Cambridge Trust and Homerton College - as well as the Botanic Garden.
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