Funeral held for trees in Coventry

[dutchman]

The felled trees were mourned in Coventry city centre



Visitors to Coventry city centre were treated to a strange sight on Saturday as a funeral was being held - for trees.

News that the trees and shrubbery located along Smithford Way were to be removed by Coventry City Council divided opinion.

And those who were against the decision took to the streets and held a funeral for the now-removed trees.

The council has revealed the trees were felled as part of the city centre improvement work and pledged to replace every single one with two more trees.

On Saturday (December 14), a procession was seen heading down from Broadgate - passing through the space left by the green escalator, which was also removed as part of the same improvement scheme.

Eventually they would come to a stop on Smithford Way outside Waterstones, where a grave and a wreath was placed.

According to a post on the Coventry Green Party Facebook page, a ceremony was held here, with readings and poetry recited.

It is unclear just how many people were in attendance, with pictures taken at the event showing around 40 to 50 people gathered.

However, it is not immediately obvious if each of these were here specifically for the event, or merely passing members of the public intrigued by what was happening.

The trees on Smithford Way are not the first greenery to vanish from the city centre in recent weeks.

Earlier this year, the trees on the Upper Precinct were felled, allowing machines access to removed the green escalator.