Armed with a strolling stick, a chair and a quilt, Virginia Hanley is prepared for battle.
The 70-year-old has launched into a sit-in protest to avoid wasting a towering willow tree from getting the chop.
She has lived in a close-by bungalow in Sheppey, Kent since 2007.
The 61-year-old tree is because of be felled on account of subsidence points at a property on the road.
Virginia was left distraught when she noticed staff strategy the tree, and rushed over to stage her protest.
She stated: ‘I went outdoors and requested them what they had been doing.
‘They defined they had been taking it down with permission from Swale Borough Council (SBC) and that it could be gone in 4 hours.
‘I replied saying “oh, so I’ve got four hours to try and sort this out?” and he stated, “oh no, I’m starting it now”.
‘So I came in, grabbed a chair, grabbed a quilt, grabbed a walking stick, put a wrap around me and a coat and I went out and sat under the tree.’
The act of defiance was no straightforward feat, because the mum-of-two was left dwelling with a incapacity following a highway accident in 1984.
On the time, she needed to take care of nerve harm but it surely’s now was nerve malfunction, which means she will be able to’t stroll lengthy distances.
She added: ‘While I was under the tree the workers told me they couldn’t wait whereas I used to be there as a result of it was costing them cash.
‘So they left and they promised me they wouldn’t be again. However quarter-hour later, they had been.
‘I told them that I wasn’t going wherever and that I needed to know why this tree is coming down.’
Nevertheless, not everybody agreed together with her protest. Virgina’s neighbour, who has lived in his residence for 25 years, was completely satisfied for the tree to go.
The native, who needed to stay nameless, stated: ‘My porch is collapsing and my insurance coverage firm, Direct Line, dug up my entrance backyard to verify it’s the tree that’s inflicting the subsidence.
“I don’t know what all this garbage is about together with her making an attempt to avoid wasting the tree.
“I can’t perceive why she is worrying a couple of poxy tree, it’s like flogging a useless horse.
“I called the council and they told me on the phone that the tree is on their property and she has no right to sit under their trees.”
In the meanwhile the previous willow was nonetheless standing.
Virginia added: ‘There are three stunning bushes by my residence which make dwelling right here a pleasure.
‘They make it look good and bushes are important, important for our nicely being.
‘I didn’t prefer it once they got here to chop it down and I at all times stated in the event that they try to take this tree down, I’m going to be sitting beneath it.
‘I’ve bought to do what I stated I’d do, as a result of it’s the appropriate factor to do.’
Nevertheless, the tree’s future doesn’t look promising. A Swale council spokesman confirmed that regardless of the protest it’s mandatory for the willow to be taken down.
They stated: ‘Sadly, on account of subsidence points with a close-by property, we now have needed to take the choice to fell this tree.
‘This is not a decision we have taken lightly, and only after we have investigated the issue thoroughly, including root analysis reports which highlighted the tree’s affect on the property.
‘In these conditions, we do purpose to interchange any felled bushes the place sensible, and we’ll assessment this location for suitability as soon as the felling work has been accomplished.
‘We know people value trees, and they are an important part of our work to tackle the climate and ecological emergency, which is why we have planted more than 14,000 trees across the borough this planting season alone.’
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