Seeds from trees which survived the World War Two bombing of Hiroshima have taken root in Manchester to celebrate its anniversary of becoming the UK’s first nuclear-free city.
Six ginkgo trees survived the atomic blast which killed about 100,000 people in the Japanese city on 6 August 1945.
Manchester was declared a nuclear-free zone on 5 November 1980.
It is the first UK city to be given seeds, which it received in recognition of its global anti-nuclear role.
Manchester is a vice president city of Mayors for Peace, a global programme founded by the mayor of Hiroshima, Takeshi Araki, in 1982.
The six ginkgo trees, which still grow about a mile (1.6km) from the bomb site, suffered extreme damage in the blast.
However, new buds soon emerged from the burnt trunks, leading to the ginkgo becoming a symbol of hope in Japan.
The Lord Mayor of Manchester Sue Cooley said the seedlings’ history made them “truly breathtaking”.
“They serve as a pertinent symbol of hope and a reminder that we stand proud, with our fellow Mayors for Peace cities, in the call for nuclear disarmament.”
The seedlings have been grown at Hulme Community Garden Centre. A decision on where they will be planted is still to be made.
Article source
