06.10.2006

Its conker time in the UK

The local council in Worthing West Sussex has rented an aerial lift, reportedly for £100, to pick conkers from a tree in Tarring Park. In previous years a number of buildings nearby, suffered from broken windows as children threw sticks and stones at the tree to knock down the best specimens.
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Horse chestnuts... Conkers from the Aesculus hippocastanum tree

The council took pre-emptive action this year considering that the cost to pick them would be lower than replacing windows. The conkers were picked and left in a large pile at the foot of the tree.

Worthing council tree officer, Peter Whish, said that the cost of £100 would save far more in council insurance payouts. He added: "It is part of our creative approach."

In a city further north the fire brigade was called out to rescue a child with one of its fire ladders after he got stuck in a tree trying to collect conkers.
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A conker threaded on a string ready to play

For our non British readers Conkers are Horse Chestnuts, children collect them when they fall in the autumn, drill a hole from top to bottom, thread a string through, knotting it underneath and then play “Conkers” with each child taking turns to bash the opponents conker with theirs. The first one to break apart looses.
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Each player takes turn to try and break the others conker

Conker experts have turned their nose up at the initiative saying that a conker is not ready to lay until it falls. Ahh well.

Vertikal Comment

Yet another application for aerial lifts rears its head. On a more serious note though it is nice to see a council tackling a problem in an intelligent way, rather than putting expensive signs up, fencing the tree off or heaven forbid, cutting it down.

All those copies of Cranes&Access going to local councils is fianally begining to pay off!