
Held on line PresentMark James (Chair), Helen McIlroy (Minutes), Ruth Hubbard, Woll Newall, Isabel O’Leary, Paul Selby, Christine King, Mark Brown. Gerry Firkins joined later. ApologiesAlison Teal, Sue Kondakor, Andrew Kondakor, Asha Dube IntroRuth reminded attendees of the purpose of General Meetings (member input/decision-making – underpinned by an ongoing organisational conversation for information-sharing to contribute…

Present: Helen McIlroy, Woll Newall, Paul Selby, Isabel O’Leary, Ruth Hubbard (online). Observers: No observers were present for this meeting. Apologies: Alison Teal, Mark James Minutes: The minutes of the last two committee meetings (18th August, 29th September) were agreed as a true and accurate record. Matters arising: ACTION: Isabel to follow up with Alison to ensure contact made to…

There are 9 days in National Tree Week!, so today is the first bonus tree – Shane’s Tree, a Common Lime (Tilia x europaea), is the only tree on Aldfield Way, a quiet backstreet in Burngreave, near the Northern General Hospital. Shane’s tree was threatened with felling in 2017, for ‘totally bonkers’ reasons. On July…

Ellen the Lime (named after the Star journalist Ellen Beardmore) is the lone survivor of the very early morning ‘Night Raid’ on Rustlings Rd on the 17th November 2016, when 7 out of 8 targeted trees were felled. Arrests of protestors under the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act (related to flying picketing) were subsequently…

This London Plane (Platanus x hispanica), with distinctively shaped branches, was threatened with felling along with 22 others healthy trees on Western Rd, mainly because they were categorised as damaging the pavement or offsetting the kerb. The Western Rd trees were planted in 1919, in memory of former pupils of the local Western Road Council…

The branches of ‘Stumpy’, a Common Lime on Meersbrook Park Rd, have filled out nicely since this squirrel protected it, on a rather grey day, from the felling crews early on in the protests. Originally, just under half of the 42 trees on Meersbrook Park Rd were planned to be felled. Squirrels – protestors climbing…

This Cherry tree on Abbeydale Park Rise may not be the most elegant, formed of 3 main branches awkwardly, and rather absurdly, sticking out from the top of a mis-matched, squat and flat-topped trunk – a result of the grafting process. However it was the setting for one of the most iconic photos from the…

Mary Marshall was a campaigner all her life, for women’s rights and animal welfare, access to arts education and support for those with mental health difficulties, and for the protection of Sheffield’s healthy street trees. Despite a long term illness she travelled all over the city, often at short notice by taxi, to sit under…