Great British Tour Coming to Kilgore

The British Delegation is ready to embark on their Great British Tour in North and East Texas, with bonus stops in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico, according to the British Consulate-General in Houston.

This year, Kilgore residents, businesses, and political leaders will have the chance to discuss investment opportunities and other issues of mutual interest between Texas and the United Kingdom.

“The aim of this tour is to focus on cities outside the ‘Texas Triangle’ (Houston, Dallas, Austin/San Antonio).” Consul General Richard Hyde said in a press release. “This will enable us to engage with a wide range of politically influential and economically important communities and groups.”

As part of the Great British Tour of Texas, Her Majesty’s Consul General Richard Hyde and the British Delegation will visit Kilgore for a tree planting and a pop-up consulate. The team will meet with representatives from local chambers of commerce, regional economic organizations, university presidents, and civil society members. The gatherings will highlight the state of Texas’s close economic ties with the United Kingdom. Attendees will be served British-themed food and beverages. Ceremonies for the Queen’s Green Canopy, a global sustainability initiative of tree planting, will also take place in honor of Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 (Queen Elizabeth’s 75th year on the throne).

The Great British Tour of Texas will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Hyde will plant a tree at each location he visits. Texas exports to the United Kingdom totaled more than $10 billion in 2018. This success is the result of a series of events that support a variety of UK interests in business, trade, defense, education and other fields. The two proved to have a long-standing, close-allied relationship after 180 years of a UK government representative in Texas.

“Whilst honouring Her Majesty’s 75th year on the throne and enhancing the environment with tree plantings, we also hope to demonstrate that the UK is a modern and dynamic partner of Texas, a leading centre of culture, music and sport and a world class centre of innovation and science,” Hyde said. Everyone will be encouraged to help enhance the environment by planting trees through to the end of the Jubilee year.