Sorry we haven’t been in touch for a while. So much has been happening.

We made a video!

This short video really captures the essence of why we are campaigning. Do take a couple of minutes to watch it and share it far and wide! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BPkomJTMWIg 

Our constant pressure has led to EKFB carrying out bat surveys on Leather Lane (finally)

The presence of our Ecologist at our meeting with EKFB and Bucks Council on 18th May was key in order to really bring home the threat to the bats using the wildlife corridor and the impact on the endangered barbastelle bat in particular.  We made it very clear that HS2 and EKFB were legally bound to protect and respect all biodiversity and the consequences of not doing so.   We have supplied the huge quantity of data on bat activity which was collected at the Campaign’s own expense.  As a result, EKFB have finally committed to carrying out in depth surveys between now and September at various points along the bat corridor.  This should have been carried out back in 2015 – EKFB are effectively now complying with the law because of our constant engagement. The design for the over road will be on hold until results – we will continue to engage with EKFB and maintain pressure to ensure all laws are complied with.

Mitigation for trees already felled

We continue to push EKFB to provide adequate mitigation for the bat corridor for the trees felled for the track and trace and haul road. Our own bat surveys picked up a noticeable fall in bat activity in the gaps in the tree line. EKFB should be providing adequate mitigation for the trees already lost.

Guardian Angel

Our very own Carol-Anne O’Callaghan has been nominated for an award! Bucks resident and teacher, Carol-Anne O’Callaghan has been tirelessly Campaigning to Save Leather Lane Oaks from destruction by HS2. Her support for local nature has been nominated for a prestigious Guardian Angels award. The award program run by the Guardian Newspaper seeks to recognise those making a difference and make something nice happen for them.

"I am so pleased to be nominated for this award, largely because it will bring more much needed publicity to our Campaign. I have never been an activist before but I just know when things are wrong and I need to speak up against them. I encourage my students to stand up and to keep asking questions and not take no for an answer. People were so tired after all the years of fighting against HS2, they didn’t believe that they could have any influence on the project. People came on board because they need to be reminded that this is wrong and we can still make a difference.”

Look out for her story in the Guardian magazine on Saturday 23rd July!

Bat Walk

Our next bat walk in on Saturday 9 July - this coming weekend. The weather forecast looks great for an evening with the bats. There are a limited number of free tickets remaining - please book if you would like to attend. Feedback from the previous walk was excellent and we are hoping for another fantastic evening.

Together, we are making a stand and protecting our nature so THANK YOU!!

The Campaign to Save Leather Lane Oaks ©

For more Info:

HS2 - Amersham Action Group (hs2amersham.org.uk) http://www.hs2amersham.org.uk/index.html?News/LeatherLane.html 

http://www.hs2amersham.org.uk/index.html?Resources/LeatherLane/Phase2.html 

How you can help:

Please continue to share our local petition with your friends and family: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe1fYj-1_77s_hDjlAH8auN5w_sXh8j8HqyYg6ma8lAQ1Lshw/viewform

For friends, family and colleagues that are not local to Leather Lane, you can email them this Change.Org petition to sign. We have almost 43,000 signatures and it would be amazing to get this figure to 50,000.

Sign up to mail outs

You can also help by following us on our social media channels below, sharing our Facebook posts, retweeting our Tweets and reposting our stories on Instagram.
Facebook: @Saveleatherlaneoaks
Twitter: @OaksSave
Instagram: @ilonatheoak

If you can assist in any way, please get in touch at saveleatherlaneoaks@gmail.com. Any help will be most gratefully received, no matter how small.