ONCE will dedicate one of its coupons to the bicentenary of the hackberry tree of the hermitage of the Valley of Toledo. The ONCE regional delegate in Castile-La Mancha, Carlos Javier Hernández Yebra; the mayor of Toledo, Carlos Velázquez; and the president of the Royal … Toledo Foundation, Jesus Carrobles, They presented this Tuesday a coupon that will carry the image of one of the most emblematic and oldest trees in the city throughout Spain. The coupon, which will go on sale nationwide during the draw on December 23, is part of the collection “Kiss a tree”an ONCE initiative aimed at highlighting Spain’s tree heritage through 52 coupons, one per province plus Ceuta and Melilla.
Carlos Javier Hernández Yebra explained that the Valle hackberry closes the “Kiss a Tree” collection in Castile-La Mancha, started in March 2023 in Albacete. “This tree was suggested to us by the expert Eduardo Sánchez Butragueño (a lover of this specimen) and has enjoyed one of the most beautiful views in the world for more than 200 years, as reported by National Geographic,” he said. The ONCE regional delegate stressed that five million coupons will carry “a little piece of Toledo” across the country, from big cities to smaller places where there is an ONCE seller.
Hernández Yebra also recalled the social work of the organization, which allocates the income from its responsible lotteries to support people with visual disabilities. “In Castile-La Mancha alone, in 2025, more than a hundred people will lose their sight and will be knocking on our door. We are here to provide opportunities, personal autonomy, access to information, education and employment,” he stressed.
The Mayor of Toledo, Carlos Velázquez, highlighted ONCE’s link with the inclusion and employment of people with disabilities, recalling that it is the fourth largest employer in Spain. In addition, he highlighted the location chosen for the presentation: “We are in one of the most special places in Toledo, in front of the historic center, listening to the Tagus River and highlighting not only our material and cultural heritage, but also our natural heritage.” Velázquez recalled that the City Council promotes renaturalization projects, such as those on the banks of the Tagus, where the hackberry tree is one of the protagonist species.
During the event, Jesús Carrobles also highlighted the importance of this recognition not only for Toledo, but also for its natural and intangible heritage. “We live in a wonderful city for its monuments and its works of art, but also for its memory. And this memory is linked to elements that sometimes we do not value enough, such as large trees”, he emphasized. In this sense, he stressed that the Almez de la Ermita del Valle represents this natural but also cultural heritage and which is part of the identity of the city.
The event also included the intervention of the forest engineer and environmental doctorEnrique Garcia, from the Royal Toledo Foundation, who explained the uniqueness of the tree being honored. “The Valle hackberry tree, known in Toledo as almácigo, is one of the oldest trees in the city and the only one with a local name,” he emphasized. García also recalled a historical episode linked to the tree during the Civil War, when the image of the Virgin of the Valley was sheltered under its crown to protect it from gunfire. “Thanks to a tree, today we have a living history of the city that we hope will last for centuries,” he concluded.
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