Paddington star Hugh Bonneville joins students at West Sussex special school for Buckingham Palace Tree of Trees planting ceremony

Students at Oak Grove College in Worthing helped plant the silver birch in the school garden on Wednesday, November 30, and they were keen to quiz 'Mr Brown' about Paddington Bear and whether he had joined him on the trip. Phillip Potter, headteacher, said meeting people and communicating with visitors was an essential skill for the students, which was why they were leading the planting ceremony.

The school was one of four groups in West Sussex selected to receive a special tree from the Tree of Trees, which took centre stage outside Buckingham Palace during this summer’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Mr Bonneville, a West Sussex Deputy Lieutenant, and Worthing mayor Henna Chowdhury helped plant the tree, watched by guests including Deputy Lieutenants Caroline Nicholls and Harry Goring, former Deputy Lieutenant Dr John Godfrey and Worthing Golf Club director Micky Halford.

The college was chosen to receive the tree in recognition of its partnership with Worthing Golf Club, which saw students joining in the planting of new oak trees there in the spring for the Queen’s Green Canopy. Mr Potter said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate our community links because with the Queen's Green Canopy, we had the opportunity for our students to put their landscaping skills into action at Worthing Golf Club and for us to have one of the Tree of Trees is a real privilege. Our students will look after it and it will help them develop essential skills to have fun and enjoy in life and have employability.

"It also helps to raise our profile as a school because our youngsters are part of the community and we need to continue to work hard to break down the barriers for the most vulnerable in society." The college will continue to work with the golf club on the new woodland it is creating. The aim is to help introduce students to the world of work, as well as further their learning about trees and nature. Mr Halford said the club is planning to name part of the woodland Oak Grove Glade in recognition of the partnership and the work the students have put into its creation.