A MIGHTY 500-year-old oak in Wickwar remains majestic and complete - thanks to a quick thinking parish councillor.

When Pat Trull heard that work to pollard trees bordering Western Power Distribution’s cables would affect the ancient oak, she alerted South Gloucestershire Council’s community spaces team, who promptly imposed a preservation order.

Pat, who is also a Cotswold tree warden, spoke to WPD’s tree surgeon too, who agreed that particularly sensitive pruning was necessary in this case.

“The tree is one of the oldest in South Gloucestershire, it was around at the time of King Henry VIII,” said Pat.

“It really is phenomenal.”

SGC arboricultural officer Simon Penfold hopes that WPD will consider a request to move power lines away from the tree.