SIR,

How nice to see recently in the Beacon the 'new' sculpture carved from the famous Wyesham oak tree unveiled at its new home at the play area at Woodland View.

I would like to ask Wyesham County Councillor Liz Hacket Pain and the New Grove Trust, why Woodland View? What's wrong with Oak Crescent? There's a clue there in the name.

They say it was carved from one section of a branch they managed to salvage. I would like to know what happened to the truck-load of wood that was salvaged and then taken away. Quite a few branches there!

That's not to mention what seemed to turn into a free-for-all with people turning up from all over the place to help themselves to the ample supply of wood available. It was very, very sad to see.

Admittedly, the residents of Oak Crescent, myself included, who asked for a piece of wood as a keepsake or memento of this magnificent tree were given a small block.

When a few residents asked what was going to happen to the majority of the wood 'officially' removed, we were told that it was going to be made into a bench for the crescent, presumably located on the fenced-off green around the tree.

What a fitting gesture that would have been. A nice touch to what was quite a sad time.

People could use the seat or, as is now the case, the children of Oak Crescent could play on it and enjoy it.

So 'On lives the Wyesham oak' or so the inscription professes, unfortunatley not in the right part of Wyesham the acutal tree grew in.

Ray Donald

(Monmouth)