Mum marries a tree to stop dual carriageway being built through park
An environmentalist has taken the drastic measure of marrying a tree in her local park in the hope it will stop developers cutting it down.
Kate Cunningham, 34, will now be known as Kate Rose ‘Elder’ after also changing her name by deed poll to the species of tree she is now married to.
The entire town was invited to join her friends and family at the wedding ceremony at Rimrose Valley Park in Litherland, Merseyside, where the bride wore green.
Kate said: ‘It’s a great day for all the local community to come together. It’s our day.’
There was a serious side to the bizarre nuptials though, as Kate hopes her marriage will help halt plans for a dual carriageway to be built through the park.
Highways England proposes building a three-mile long bypass through the Rimrose Valley in order to ease traffic congestion going into the Port of Liverpool and the city’s famous docks.
The bride took the drastic action of marrying a tree in the hope it would raise awareness of the campaign to protect the Rimrose Valley
But residents are opposed to the £250 million plan and Kate took drastic action to draw attention to the campaign to stop it.
She even organised a hen do in the park the night before ‘to mark the occasion’.
The bride added: ‘I’ve been a protester marching in street demonstrations with thousands of other people but it doesn’t attract enough attention from people.
‘I want people to engage with the campaign and raise questions about the destruction of our green space. There are plenty of local people who aren’t even aware of what is happening.
‘This is particularly close to my heart. My mum died of an asthma attack and I suffer from a lung condition called bronchiectasis which means that my own lungs are prone to infection.
‘Plans to bulldoze this beautiful place for yet another busy road makes no sense and are an attack on our health.
‘There is already too much pollution in our region and we desperately need a solution which addresses this; not one which will make it even worse.’
She said she was inspired by female activists from Mexico who held similar ceremonies to bring attention to illegal logging and land clearing in their country.
Kate even had the backing of her boyfriend to take part in the symbolic wedding ceremony on Saturday.
The former school support assistant said ‘My boyfriend is very supportive of my decision. He’s even helped make props for the ceremony.’
Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/09/09/mum-marries-tree-stop-dual-carriageway-built-park-10711624/?ito=cbshare
