Letters sent to threatened tree

An elm which is facing the chop is receiving mail after a letterbox was attached to the rare tree. Letters and postcards written to “The Elm Tree, Vernon Terrace, Brighton” have been delivered by postmen to the threatened landmark.

Campaigners fighting to save the tree, which Brighton and Hove City Council wants to cut down as part of work on the Seven Dials junction, have been amazed by the response since they put up the letterbox. The tree has recently been given a stay of execution until a council meeting at the end of April after campaigners Tom Druitt and Steven Hendry set up camp in it for two nights to prevent it being felled.



Mr Druitt, 34, who lives in Hove, said: “It’s mad. There have been about five letters delivered. Initially we got two stamped letters pinned to a notice board so we decided to put up a post box. On Friday there were three more letters. They seem to have been sent locally. They were sent via the Royal Mail.”

Mr Hendry added: “It’s very encouraging that people I’ve never met are writing to me to say thanks for standing up for the tree. Everyone wants it saved. We never expected people to write real letters but they are so we thought it would help if we got the tree a postbox.”