Community rescuers come together as local Councillor Jill Hood put out a plea for help on Saturday as volunteers struggled to remove a tree stuck in the River Trent by Stone and Stafford Canoe Club.
Just after lunchtime on Saturday Cllr Jill Hood posted the following appeal on her Facebook page:
“Day 3 on the river at Stone canoe club and still trying to get the huge tree moved so that normal service can be resumed for the canoe club lessons. Could do with some good will and heavy plant machinery to move it. Anyone out there available to help please? I wouldn’t normally make such a big ask but these guys must be exhausted.”
Within minutes the shares started coming in and over the next few hours, a number of tractors and heavy plant equipment descended on the location in Stone to aid with extracting the tree.
First on the scene was Pete Arnold and his family, with Jill Hood posting an update 2 hours after her initial appeal:
“Amazing and impressive community spirit. Thanks go especially the Pete Arnold family who turned up with tractor to help pull out the tree. In the final stages.now .it’s been dragged to the side and now needs securing to stop it floating back into stuck position again. The canoe club team has worked all day what a great team spirit”
A further update came a few hours later after more heavy machinery had joined the operation, Jill writing:
“Today I had a strong reminder of why I love Stone and its people. After an appeal for help for the Canoe club members who had been battling to move a massive tree blocking the river for 3 days.
We had Pete Arnold turn up with his tractor and two daughters and between them and the lads they managed to pull the tree to the side. Then Dave Vickers and Dan with his Tele Handler closely followed by a guy from Eccleshall with another large tractor began the difficult job of getting it out of the water and onto the bank.
It was heartwarming to know every single person there helping was giving their time freely and willingly all had just dropped what they were doing to turn up and work their wotsits off! It took all day and it poured down but they did it with great team spirit. Massive thanks to everyone. This is what Stone is all about”
