The Association of Lyceum Past Students (ALPS) will be having its own area of saplings in the ongoing 34U campaign. The ALPS Grove will be planted in November in the area close to the Kennedy Grove at Qawra. The association has been allotted an area for the planting of 50 olive trees that may be clearly identified by the general public.

Like many other ideas, this one was born out of the great sense of disgust and indignation following the destruction of 3,000 saplings at Mellieha. The association, which has statutorily always been in the forefront of civic, cultural and philanthropic activities for its members and their friends, immediately started receiving several phone calls with its members' ideas of how it could help the 34U campaign. Rather than encouraging members to plant trees individually, ALPS arranged for all its members' contributions to be pooled together for the planting of olive saplings in one large, suitably-signposted area.

Several members and friends of ALPS have already contributed Lm6 for each sapling to be planted in a ceremony planned for the morning of 3 November. Each tree will carry a tag with the name of the donor, and a photo will be taken of each individual or family planting a sapling. Each photo will be turned into a certificate complete with the donor's details.

Saplings can be planted for no specific reason at all – just love for the environment – or to commemorate any special event in a family, such as engagements, weddings, births, birthdays, anniversaries and others.

Members and Friends of ALPS are still welcome to join the event by writing to ALPS Secretary-General Alex Borg and enclosing a cheque of Lm6 for each sapling to be planted. The upkeep of the ALPS Grove will be taken care of by the Government.