AN HISTORIC pear tree in Cubbington is spreading its branches.
Despite the failure of efforts to save the Cubbington wild pear tree from the path of the HS2 bulldozers, grafted saplings will now ensure its offspring survive in and around the village.
And Warwickshire Wildlife Trust has also planted a sapling from the 200-year-old tree at the Brandon Marsh nature reserve.
Grafts of the tree, voted English Tree of the Year in 2015, were made by Bedfordshire-based lecturer Paul Labous and his horticultural students at Shuttleworth College.
The significance of the tree in Cubbington Wood and its impending fate were reported nationally in 2011 and it became a symbol of the campaign to prevent extensive environmental damage by HS2.
Rose Guiot, of Cubbington Action Group against HS2 which fought to try and save the tree said: “Having tried unsuccessfully to save the pear tree and South Cubbington Wood by petitioning Parliament for a tunnel, we are very relieved that it has been possible to propagate our lovely old tree so that future residents of Cubbington and beyond will be able to enjoy the sight of a wild pear tree in bloom”.
Trust officer Nicholas Feledziak added: “It was a privilege to be involved in the planting and to be part of the tree’s history. The life of the tree has now been extended and I look forward to coming back in 50 years to see how it is getting on.”
