Tree sculptor Ed Elliott has written to Caz Holbrook, who is behind the group campaigning to save the Prospect tree, and to Balfour Beatty. He has set out his proposals for ensuring that something of this tree is preserved for the Prospect and the people of Ross.

Mr Elliott visited the damaged tree on Thursday, January 7th and came to the same conclusion as Balfour Beatty, that the tree is unsafe. As it has dropped such a large limb in a public place, he said:?“It definitely needs attention.”

However he believes that felling the whole tree is unnecessary. He said:?“It would be extremely sad to completely remove an incredible tree like this as it is the most substantial of it’s kind in the park. My request is to leave a sizeable amount of the remaining branches and crown when any work is taken forward. At the very least this will still have a sculptural presence as the foundations of such a beautiful tree in this stunning setting. The reduced trunk itself would still last for many years to come.

He said:?“After inspecting the break, and seeing the other areas which have collected water over the years, there is a reasonable chance that these limbs have an internal weakness which could result in further danger. This is only an estimate but considering Health and Safety in a public place, I imagine the Council will have to take action.”

Mr Elliott can see that the tree would need work to be made safe but he added: “There is a great window of opportunity here to create something extremely special from what will only be a tragic removal of one of the most significant trees in the area.

“My opinion is that even a sculpture with a limited life is better than losing the tree altogether.