Keele’s cherry planting team receives the Ambassador’s commendation certificate. From right, Ambassador Suzuki, Chris Sanders, Dave Emley and Graham Lees.
Ambassador Suzuki speaking at the ceremony Chris Sanders talking to Ambassador Suzuki
Weeping cherry in full blossom at Keele University
Naoko talking to Ambassador Suzuki and Chris Sanders Naoko talking to Ambassador Suzuki
A group photo of the planting team
The weather was perfect on Wednesday 2nd April 2025 for the visit to Keele University of the Japanese Ambassador, Hiroshi Suzuki. Mr. Suzuki presented the Ambassador’s commendation for the university’s amazing cherry collection. It’s the largest public collection of flowering cherries outside Japan with 300 cherry trees of more than 240 different varieties. The University holds the National Collection status.
The planting team led by Dr. Peter Thomas and Dave Emley, a former geology technician, have been planting cherries for decades with advice from the UK’s foremost sakura authority, Chris Sanders. The collection includes all 56 existing varieties of Matsumae cherries in the UK. Matsumae cherries were created by Masatoshi Asari, Japan’s preeminent cherry creator from Hokkaido.
I have written the moving story about the introduction of Matsumae cherries to the UK in my book ‘Cherry’ Ingram–The Englishman Who Saved Japan’s Blossoms.
