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Newbury people dress threatened trees
16 January 1996
photo opportunity: Saturday 20th January at 1.00, the chase, newbury
NEWBURY PEOPLE DRESS THREATENED TREES
Local residents, outraged at the destruction of their local beauty spots, will be celebrating the importance of trees by holding a tree-dressing ceremony on the route of the proposed Newbury bypass.
This Saturday the 20th of January at 1.00, local people will gather at the Chase [1] where trees have been felled during the past week.
The Chase is National Trust land supposedly preserved in perpetuity for the enjoyment of the nation.
Tree-dressing is a very ancient way of celebrating our woodlands and will involve decorating trees with coloured wool, paper chains and ribbons.
People will write their feelings about this week's destruction of hundreds of beautiful trees and tie them to the decorated trees.
Rachel Stark of the Third Battle of Newbury said:
"Local people are horrified that hundreds of trees have been felled for a useless road. We want to show how much our woodlands mean to us, and to beautify our environment in the face of this chainsaw massacre."
She continued:
"The Department of Transport is intent on bulldozing an obsolete motorway through the heart of countryside. Local people are standing up and saying no."
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] Meeting point: the Chase car park along Station Road, south of its junction with Enborne Row at grid reference SU629440 (our grid square B7).
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Sep 2008
