Talking Point with Vicky Turrell: 'The trees have been spared'

They have been saved. They were going to be cut but people spoke out and altered decisions.  The little hospital near where I used to live in Yorkshire was to have its care unit axed but the final chop has been delayed. People signed a petition and local MPs were involved so plans have been put on hold.

And the same has happened for the people in our town where trees were to be axed and the council has listened to people and the trees have been spared. They have not had the chop after all. Just think these trees with a trunk the size you can hug are about 40 years old, I guess. If so, they could have been planted around the time when the Chernobyl disaster happened and the neighbouring environment was destroyed. Here now, the reprieved trees are giving us cleaner air, shelter to stand and talk, a place for mistletoe and the sparrows I saw there today.

Not all our difficulties are solved yet though. We have road works here. Roadworks that block the road into town. Roadworks that could last a month with bright yellow and black diversion signs at the end of all our little side roads which send us miles around into Wales and back. I was grumbling to my friend after taking a long diversion to get to the other side of town.

“It’s just awful,” I said.

“Well, just think,” said my wise friend, “we were grumbling last week about the potholes. Now they are repairing the road we are grumbling again!”.

Our grocery delivery person was not grumbling but he certainly had difficulties getting to us.

“It’s not the diversions that are the problem,” he said, “but those who use the tiny country lanes as short cuts”. Our country lanes are getting blocked by people who have not got time to clock up extra miles. The farmers are noticing it too. They are cutting grass and they have no choice but to use the small lanes when they bring their tractors and trailers out of their fields. I have seen their messages on social media.

‘Polite notice…we will be silaging throughout the day with large tractors and trailers.’ They have to be on the small roads.

This morning I managed to set off to before 9.30am when the work starts. What joy that was especially when I arrived on the other side and on to the completed black ribbon of new tarmac carrying me smoothly over the hills.

Our problems will soon be over and we will have bump free roads. We will be able to get to those trees and enjoy their shade ready for our next heat wave.