The one felled tree in our Village will be sculptured into a Squirrel

The loss of one of our beautiful trees in Formby Village was bad enough but at least we did not lose the five that was originally planned by Sefton Council. The one tree that was felled in March outside Waterfields on Chapel Lane will now be sculptured by the brilliant Simon Archer.

Harington Conservatives Cllr Dutton, Cllr Jamieson and Cllr Pitt are pleased to announce they have secured funding to sculpt the tree in Formby Village which sadly was marked for felling.

Cllr Denise Dutton said: "It was heart breaking that any trees had to be felled in our village, but as a legacy we have been able to organise the sculpting of the remaining stump into a Squirrel – representing Formby."

"I am also pleased to report this is being funded through development levy section 106 monies, so it is at no cost to council tax payers. This project will be undertaken by Simon Archer Formby based wood carver in the next few weeks."

Simon Archer has a formal background in Fine Art and sculpture and now works exclusively as a wood sculptor/chainsaw artist, creating unique artworks from dead or fallen trees.

Simon said: "Most of my work is commission based, whether it's carving large dead tree stumps in parks or small pieces for domestic gardens. I also try to make time to experiment with my studio work, trying new ideas and working more intuitively."

How brilliant is that!

Cllr Simon Jamieson, Sclptor Simon Archer (middle) and Cllr Denise Dutton standing at the tree to be sculptured into a squirrel on Chapel Lane in Formby

This is the tree that had to be cut down in our village but will be sculptured into a squirrel approximately 10ft high

Original Story in March 2018:

Tree Experts finally agree on a way forward with Sefton Council regarding the Chapel Lane Trees in Formby.

A spokesman for Sefton Council said: “As promised, a discussion has now taken place involving Sefton Council’s own internal tree experts and the author of the independent report into the condition of trees in Formby Village to consider the inspection findings in more detail."

“As there are still some differences in expert opinions, we have come to a mutual short term position. The experts agree that one tree needs to be felled and we will undertake essential health and safety work on two others involving the removal and pruning of dead branches. All trees will be inspected in Spring time to determine the next steps. We will however monitor the impact of any adverse weather in case the trees deteriorate more quickly. This work will start from Monday, March 5."

“It is due to continuous Government funding cuts that the Council only has budget for health and safety work on trees. This was an explicit Council decision as part of a package of measures to balance the budget while prioritising the services that protect the most vulnerable and provide essential services to our communities."

“Therefore, unfortunately we are not able to implement any of the wider recommendations in the report commissioned by the Parish Council. We simply do not have the budget to undertake this type of works and the practical implications of changes to footpaths and winter gritting would need to be carefully assessed."

“We do however recognise that we still need to finalise the longer term prospects for these trees and we will continue to work with Formby Parish Council and the Ward Councillors to consider the implications of the wider recommendations including funding options.”