We are over the 3,500 mark, wow. It's been a busy week in Wivenhoe, apologies for the pause in our updates. As you know, we were expecting works to fell the tree between Monday 13th - Weds 15th January…. So what happened next? The short story is, the tree is still standing! We originally understood the tree to be due for felling this week. We are all glad to have more time to keep working on finding alternative solutions and exploring what steps we can take to save our oak tree (and the nearby horse chestnut and ash also due to be felled).

Some more detailed updates now follow.

Tree protectors

On Monday 13th a sizeable group of individuals -  who call themselves tree protectors - arrived to sit by the tree. This was in tandem with some work by the council being attempted in constructing boundary fencing in a portion of the KG car park. The protector group’s presence, combined with some vehicles parked around the tree (maybe they missed the memo…?), has prevented the fencing from being completed and there's been a stalling of the site preparations works.

The group remains in a 24 hour vigil safeguarding the tree. No contractors have yet arrived to do any felling works as was originally expected and it is unclear when this might now be. The weather conditions started out as very cold on Monday and have thankfully become increasingly mild as the week has progressed. 

The wider community of Wivenhoe has been providing nourishment, companionship and support to this tree protection group. I want to thank all those tree protecting individuals for their sheer fortitude and warmth of spirits. I've visited the tree protectors this week and have been enjoying hearing updates from the intergenerational community that has formed in mutual love and support for the tree and one another. I think we are all falling deeper in love with this tree and have an even greater appreciation of what we stand to lose from this experience.

Read about the tree protectors’ experiences and positivity in this Colchester gazette article. 

Town council's EGM

An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) was held by the town council on Tuesday 14th January to which the community was invited to attend. There was capacity for 20 public and ten minutes allotted for the community to voice its concerns and views on the tree. The room was full. So more than 20 further tree protectors peacefully protested outside the town hall for the duration. Four speakers shared the ‘Save Wivenhoe's Old King George Oak Tree’ collective viewpoint as concisely as possible, including:

• The desire to work with the council to find a solution that works for everyone affected - saving the tree and addressing subsidence in properties
• The need to understand what evaluations have been done to date and explore surveys and investigations towards alternative mitigations
• Sharing concerns over the process to date and the forced confidentiality (imposed on WTC by Aviva) meaning there has been a lack of public awareness and scrutiny
• Sharing concerns over potential misleading environmental statements made in communications with the public by the insurer. This has added an additional a level of uncertainty as to what else might have been said to unfairly represent the situation in the council's dialogue with Aviva.
• Voicing the need to ensure no unintended consequences of felling these trees, eg new future subsidence issues affecting other properties
• The overwhelming love and desire to save the trees shared by the community and the council. The difference is that the council cannot see a way forward any further, while the community try to find a solution.
• The need to be civil and constructive in our interactions between both the council and those supporting the campaign. There is the potential to work together in these coming weeks to support the identification of an alternative that we do believe exists. The council says they would need a ‘silver bullet’ or 'magic wand', which we hope we can find.  

Speakers included three with professional backgrounds in architecture and buildings, including subsidence related construction, one tree protector and one owner of a property in Clifton terrace opposite the trees being felled. I was one of these four speakers and also shared the perspective of the petition and how much support has been building online and in person for saving this special tree. So thank you all for signing this and helping to build momentum enabling this dialogue to happen.

We were pleased that during the meeting time was allowed for further discussion with the council. There has been work since on both sides to establish more open lines of communication between everyone. Long may this continue. We of course do not know what was discussed in confidential portion of the EGM, and hope that our presentations were given some proper consiseration

It is clear from our meeting and subsequent press coverage that the council don't particularly want the trees felled either, but see no alternative. They are in a tight spot, in terms of their obligations to Aviva. We need to find a way, and quickly, as there is a deadline of 1st February hanging over the council by the insurer with financial and legal risk thereafter.

More news bites:

• Barrister Paul Powlesland has now been instructed to the campaign to save the tree(s). He has extensive experience in this area, you can listen to him on BBC Radio 4’s Rare Earth from December 20th. We hope with Paul’s support we can work with WTC and Aviva to find a way forward.
• With a barrister and the potential of independent surveys and evaluations to be commissioned, we are conscious that the campaign now needs not only time, signatures and energy, but funds to save this tree. We will be soon releasing information on a crowdfunding effort to help us in this next phase of the campaign.
• Children continue to support in their own ways. One of our local primary schools' Eco Councillors delivered some posters to the tree in support of the save the King George. The Woodland Craft Folk also wrote a song about the tree. Thank you to these and all the children who have been delivering artworks of the tree and joining the tree protectors efforts. We hope to do you proud so that you may enjoy the canopy of these trees for all your summers to come.
• The campaign and protection has caught the attention of a wide range of press. This is now including (but not limited to!);
  • BBC Essex radio (listen from 2:06 for main segment)
  • BBC Look East television & short clips
  • BBC article 
  • Colchester Gazette here & here
  • East Anglian Daily Times
  • The Forestry Journal
  • ITV Anglia
  • Even a piece in the Insurance Post on our concerns about possible greenwashing by the insurer Aviva. It appears there might be something of a record here, given the other article the Insurance Post refers to...
• A new TPO request has been made for a special ash tree within the playground itself. More to follow.
• A drone survey has been undertaken and findings are being reviewed for potential bat roosts, with some looking fairly possible as roost viable locations. Naturalist Chris Gibson is also monitoring the wildlife that are starting to increasingly be visiting the tree and it's vicinity. We will ensure any nesting activity is recorded. Bat roost and nesting birds could prevent/delay works to the tree under UK environmental law.
• Support and knowledge sharing has been welcomed from a wider range of individuals if all ages. If you feel that you have skills, energy, time or enthusiasm that can be helpful please do get in touch. The tree protectors appreciate the smallest of gestures - a delivery of chips from Henley's of Wivenhoe was a highlight for them in the depths of Monday night's cold.
• We have signed up to Canopy who are a national network of tree campaigners. You can also sign up as individuals here.
• The CEE Bill is being discussed in parliament next week. This might in the future help in safeguarding nature more widely in the UK. Worth reading about this and considering supporting their campaign and writing to your MP.

Closing thoughts

We still have hope. As dialogue improves with the WTC and wider community we now need to try to bring Aviva into the conversation. We have been disappointed with their communications with the community to date, but it is not too late for them to come to the table and work together with us to be creative and find a solution we can all be satisfied by. We implore them to give more time and to support the retention of existing mature trees, to remove the deadline of the 1st February and participate in a more creative, transparent dialogue with us.

The tree protectors become more infatuated with the trees as each day passes. They are enjoying every moment they can with the old oak, chestnut and ash at risk of felling. They are growing in resolve to stave the potential injustice of felling these trees and I am so grateful to them, in awe of their stoic hardiness. There have been tough moments in the past week, but the tree(s) still is standing and that means we have had time to continue pushing forward in our efforts to save them long term. If the trees are felled, the community will be devastated and answers will still be sought from those parties involved.

Thank you everyone, more news soon.