Sculpture gets the chop as Hayle tree plea falls on deaf ears
AN ARTIST'S dream of turning part of a giant fallen tree in Hayle into a sculpture has been dashed because of a failure in communication.
Terence Johns, a local sculptor, heard about the Monterey cypress which was torn down during last Monday's storms and came up with the idea of carving a statue from the remains to put in its place.
Mr Johns spoke to Cornwall Council workers clearing the tree, pictured on last week's front page, and was told they would leave a section for him to collect in a few days' time.
When he returned, however, Mr Johns was upset to discover this had not happened.
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"Now the whole tree has been chopped up for logs," he said. "I climbed that tree when I was seven years old, and who knows how old it is?
"There should have been something made from that tree and I wanted to do that, but I've been let down big-time.
"It's frustrating."
Mr Johns said he hoped someone might know where the wood had been taken and that a large enough piece may have survived.
"They did say I could use the stump, but they didn't know when it would be removed," he said.
"If they do decide to get rid of the root I'd say, 'Please give me a ring.' I'm just hoping somebody might think it's not all gone and will get in touch."
A spokesman for Cornwall Council said: "Unfortunately there appears to have been a breakdown in communication here.
"When the tree came down an emergency team was dispatched to remove it as quickly as possible, as there was an emergency road closure in place and we had to ensure that the site was made safe and get the road reopened as quickly as possible.
"The team returned on Tuesday to continue the removal of the tree and the message to leave a section for Mr Johns was not passed on, and the tree was cut up.
"The council apologises for any distress."
The tree toppled on Penpol Terrace at 2pm on November 26, just missing a car.
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