Since our last call to action, the support for our campaign to save ilona from being felled has been overwhelming.

Many supporters have all agreed that HS2 must stick to their environmental statement and that it is unacceptable to fell ilona for any visual or sound landscaping purposes. 

HS2’s own Environmental Statement and the mitigation hierarchy embedded in law requires HS2 to AVOID ecological harm where possible.

We have sent a thoroughly researched and measured letter, directly to HS2 requesting that full consideration is given to various alternatives that we have presented in consultation with the Woodland Trust, the Chiltern Conservation Board , the Chiltern Society. The Great Missenden Parish Council have themselves demanded that an alternative to felling Ilona is found. 

Her importance to the community is not just her visual beauty, but their personal connection with her; a sense of heritage, nostalgic well-being and knowledge of her ecological value to the local and wider environment. 

This is evident through the over 140 local residents who have written letters and joined our outcry to HS2.

We are still waiting for HS2 to give a detailed answer explaining which of our fully researched alternative suggestions  they have actually taken on board and examined with a full briefing of the results on their consideration.

She is not in the way of the track or the haul road!!!

Thank you to the 140+ people who have very kindly already written letters and emails to the relevant people to demand that HS2 uphold the mitigation hierarchy, embedded in their own ecological statement and in law. We demand that if HS2 are not going to follow any of our alternative suggestions to avoid felling ilona, they give full explanations as to why not. 

If you haven’t already sent a letter, you can use the letter template in the link below to either post or email to the relevant email addresses which have also been included. http://www.hs2amersham.org.uk/index.html?Resources/LeatherLane/Ilona/LettereIlona.html 

Please help us to put pressure on HS2 to listen to us!!!

To view our correspondence with HS2 thus far about Ilona and read our many explanations not to fell her, follow this link: http://www.hs2amersham.org.uk/index.html?Resources/LeatherLane/Phase2.html  

A wonderful local resident, David Boyd, who has been following our campaign very closely from the beginning, felt so inspired, not only to write a letter to HS2 but to write this beautiful poem found below.

Ilona

She is a joy to someone - as she would be

A joy to anyone who saw the haze

Upon these hills’ horizon and the sun

Setting behind her moments before

The barn owl’s late-twilight take-off and slow,

Wavering progress over the shrews squeaking

In the hedgerows. A long-forearmed noctule

And a Leisler’s lesser noctule dive by,

Feeding on midges, moths and flying insects.

 

The big brown, silky serotine and the scarce,

Pug-nosed barbastelle leave the roost at dusk

To forage as, ten minutes later

And nearer the ground, do Nathusius’

Pipistrelle; a common pipistrelle;

And the tiny soprano pipistrelle.

 

After dusk, two tawny owls hunt from perch,

And, an hour or more after sundown,

A solitary, brown, long-eared bat flies

Low and clicking under the tree canopy

At the top of the lane where as children

We picnicked with our parents, climbed from arm

To limb, and rode ropes and swing seats hung among

The branches. A lone oak is a would-be

Friend to all as Ilona is a pure delight to me.

-David Boyd

Please also take a look at the photo attached to this update that the very talented Holly T Burrows drew of Ilona. To take a better look, go and check out her instagram full of other wonderful wildlife drawings @huzzatbuzza 
It means so much to us to have so many people following and supporting us along this campaign journey and we thank you all so much from the very bottom of our hearts. 
We hope David's poem and Holly's drawing can inspire more people to get creative with our campaign story and that you will share your ideas with us as well as continuing to help us through the suggested ways in our campaign updates. 

Please continue to donate to our Crowdfunder here: https://tinyurl.com/25uu7zku  Or directly through BACS Transfer or Cheque - Account Name: Leather Lane Crowdfunding, Sort-code: 30-96-38; Account No: 11509663 

Find our social media accounts below:
instagram : https://www.instagram.com/ilonatheoak/    Twitter: https://twitter.com/ilonatheoak Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaveLeatherLaneOaks 

Thank you,

The Leather Lane Campaign team xx