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Regatta hailed
A freak act of nature nearly scuppered it but, not only did Sunbury Regatta go ahead, organisers are hailing it as one of the most successful events for years.
After a tree collapsed onto a vital bridge just days before, the Rivermead Island extravaganza was in serious danger of being cancelled.
But prompt action from Spelthorne Council and its contractors ensured the site was made safe just in time and a crowd of over 3,000 were able to enjoy the village's biggest community day of the year once again.
Committee chairman Kaye Lennon admitted she was indebted to the council for its work following the accident, which saw a tree fall, in calm conditions, onto the only bridge linking the island with the mainland on Saturday last week.
With access completely blocked and railings destroyed, the council started getting to work on Wednesday and by Thursday had erected scaffolding to make the bridge safe.
Ms Lennon said: "The council were fantastic and managed to pull out all the stops so we were able to start preparations as normal.
"We are all extremely grateful to them but I always kept faith that it would be alright."
Council leader John Packman was pleased the authority saved the day, saying: "I am pleased and proud that the council was able to pull the stops out and react to this abnormal event so quickly and efficiently. The regatta is a particularly important event in the local calendar and we have truly risen like the Phoenix from the ashes."
Ms Lennon said the glorious weather helped contribute to the biggest crowd for years. She said: "There was a great atmosphere and people were queueing to get onto the island, something which hasn't happened for a number of years.
"There was no trouble, the police weren't called into action and the lawn was cleared by 10.15pm so I think we did our bit to make sure everything went off smoothly."
Ms Lennon nominated the fireworks finale as the highlight of the weekend, but reiterated they will not be returning next year unless donors are found.
"They simply cost too much", she added
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Two trees had to be removed.
The one which had fallen and a second deemed to be unsafe.
If it is not possible for even an expert to tell when a tree is unsafe we should be much more careful where new trees are planted and where we leave older trees standing.
If it is possible to tell when a tree is unsafe then those responsible should have a suitable regular inspection programme of their trees.
The tree which fell apparently did so in calm conditions.
In recent years two men were killed when a tree fell onto a car in Stanwell and a young school girl was killed when a tree fell into the grounds of a Surrey school.
My recollection is that an expert witness at the inquiry into the incident involving the young school-girl said that it was not possible to determine by inspection if the tree which killed the girl was unsafe.