A HOPEFUL MISSION A group of activists stand in South Cubbington Woods. This photograph captured a hopeful moment as they planned to creep into the woods and set up a new camp in the trees to provide some protection, and to delay the felling of the trees. The protesters failed, met with force by the consortium’s security team. Cubbington Woods, October 2020

LONDON TREES Tree Houses perch high in the branches. Protesters built several of these to protect the trees in Euston Square Gardens, a small park to the front of Euston railway station. The station was scheduled to be the start point of the new high-speed railway, even though later land surveys demonstrated that the plans were unworkable. The land was still acquired by the consortium and the trees scheduled for clearance to make way for a temporary taxi rank. Protesters were concerned as city trees are dwindling, at a time when air is becoming more polluted. They are the lungs of the city and without mature trees the air becomes more toxic. Euston, London, November 2020

EVICTION NIGHT Protesters take a break from tunnelling under Euston Square Gardens. This photograph was taken on the night the camp was evicted and the camp at Euston was full as preparations for securing and delaying this from happening. In addition to tree houses and small constructions there was a series of tunnels, built in secret. This was enabled with the help of veteran environmental activist Dan Hooper (on the left), who had become nationally famous and nicknamed ‘Swampy’ after spending a week in a tunnel during high profile road expansion protests in the 1990’s. It wasn’t long after this that the eviction began in the early hours of the morning. It happened quickly and not everyone got into the tunnel. Dan did, along with Nemo (on the right) and seven others including Dan’s sixteen-year-old son. They remained in the tunnel, one emerging every few days as supplies ran short, for a month. Euston Square Gardens, January 2021

A PRECARIOUS JOB Two tree protesters string ropes between branches perched high up in the boughs. This was another area of London where trees were being unnecessarily felled rather than protected, at a time when city trees were starting to dwindle. Wormwood Scrubbs protection camp, March 2021

DENHAM Denham Country Park. A 69-acre public park and nature reserve in the Colne Valley, Uxbridge, on the outskirts of London. The construction project included the building of a huge viaduct, which ploughed through the Colne Valley disrupting and damaging numerous wildlife sites, woodlands, homes and businesses. The whole community living in its path was impacted by increased construction traffic, noise, risks to the water course and its wildlife through poisoning. Many locals were left traumatised. At Denham Country Park protesters occupied a camp which consisted of a network of tree houses, with a ‘secure’ perimeter of trees and fences. In this photograph one such tree house sits above the site. Denham Country Park, March 2021

TREE PROTECTION A young female tree house dweller dangles from her rope surveying the camp below her. She wears a safety harness, and her platform can just be seen much further up the tree. Denham Country Park, March 2021

QUIET RESIGNATION AWAIITNG EVICTION A protester drinks his morning coffee as he sits on a raised platform at the front of the camp. A quiet resignation had entered the camp as security and bailiffs started to move into the area. It was only a matter of time before full eviction of the camp began, and time is all they could buy. Denham Country Park, March 2021

SPRING SUNSHINE BEFORE THE EVICTION Small structures sat nestled within the trees, which no longer stand. Carefully constructed homes and encampments set within nature, that provided homes for protesters for many months. Denham Country Park, March 2021

FIRESIDE COMMUNITIES Protesters often moved from camp to camp as one was evicted. Dan Hooper moved on from Denham to Jones Hill Wood, a 1.8-hectare ancient woodland and the setting for Roald Dahls book ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’, in Wendover, Buckinghamshire. This camp was evicted in April 2021 and half the wood felled. From there he moved to Wendover Active Resistance (WAR) camp, in Aylesbury. Here again a series of tunnels were built under the site. In this photograph camp residents and tunnellers, including Dan, take time out to relax, check messages and eat dinner around the fire, September 2021

ON HIGH The protest slowly moved up the country, following the proposed route of destruction, setting up camps in the threatened woodland. The last camp sat in a small patch of ancient woodland near Swynnerton in Staffordshire. Activists built an impressive ‘garrison’ in the woods, with tree houses, tunnels and structures made from wood donated by the community. By now the construction project was losing a lot of support within the local communities where it impacted, and many were helping the protesters at the camps. Here a young woman climbs up a tree to her platform. Bluebell Woods, February 2022

TREE HUGGERS Bluebell Woods, so named for the carpet of bluebells that covered the ground during the spring, was a beautiful peaceful space. After the harsh winter protesters appreciated a moment of quiet sunshine. Here a young woman takes a moment to close her eyes whilst lying on the bough of a tree. Bluebell Woods, February 2022

THE GARRISON The camp boasted an impressive central structure. Strong, secure with built in methods of thwarting invading bailiffs, or at least slowing them down. Building methods had improved over the campaign with more elaborate techniques and methods used. This held a lounge area, and a kitchen space, benches for sleeping and a library of donated books. At one time it was busy and bustling, but the campaigners had grown tired and weary after almost four years. Burn out was high, protesters were traumatised by the brutality of the eviction bailiffs. Young women were kicked and treated violently, a man had his jaw broken, other injuries occurred and then there was the risk of prison. Two protesters had been imprisoned for lengthy periods, breaking injunctions already. Bluebell Woods, February 2022

A PEACEFUL MOMENT Having spent an even longer period in the tunnel at WAR camp (35 days) Dan Hooper was no longer allowed anywhere near HS2 land by order of an injunction and many other activists were also injuncted to stay away from HS2 land. Veterans of WAR camp, including ‘Jelly Tot’ pictured taking a rest and catching some sun in-between tunnelling shifts, who had been imprisoned for 268 days for an injunction break, brought his tunnelling expertise to Bluebell along with others. This time a far more elaborate construction was built under the garrison. When the time for eviction arrived on the 10th May 2022 those remaining at the camp were well prepared. A siege ensued, with tunnellers remaining in the tunnels for a record breaking 47 days underground before ‘escaping’ through a secret tunnel, undetected by the bailiffs. Bluebell Woods, March 2022

NORMALITY winters on a protest camp are harsh, but a bright, sunny, warm spring provides the opportunity for a moment of self-care. Here Drew makes the most of a quiet moment to have a shave and a wash and brush up. Two months later the camp was evicted and that marked the end of the campaign against HS2. Bluebell Woods, March 2022

RETURN TO CUBBINGTON AND CRACKLEY WOOD The scar across the countryside around Crackley Woods is evident. A slice through the ancient woodland can be seen in the background as well as hedgerow and land clearance all the way along the line. Crackley Wood, September 2023

BARE EARTH This was once the centre of the wood. Now it is just piles of clay soil, abandoned bits of fence and no one to be seen. This is characteristic of many of the sites up and down the country, especially those the other side of Birmingham. Despite the widespread destruction, in October 2023, just after I revisited these sites, the government announced that they would scarp phase two of the project. All the destruction for nothing. Crackley Wood, September 2023

ACCESS ROADS AND EMPTINESS Another area left empty. One of the main reasons for tree clearance was to create access roads for moving materials and machinery. Most are now unused. Lichfield, September,2023

HALF BUILT A half-built bridge stands abandoned. One of the main arguments against the project was that it was massively behind schedule, whilst being wildly over budget. At last estimate it was costing £66 billion, almost three times the original estimate, and at a time of austerity and financial crisis. Harvill Road, September 2023

MITIGATION AND RENEWAAL The one great hope is that nature will renew itself. Although the consortiums attempt at mitigation planting have not been entirely successful, I did witness areas where nature was fighting back. In this photograph ghost trees stand where there was once mature woodland. The stumps of old trees uprooted, have been replanted and surrounded by saplings encased in plastic tubes. Most of these ghosts have not regenerated, but there are stories of hope. Residents took cuttings from the Cubbington pear tree before it was felled, which have successfully grown into saplings and replanted around the village. Even more hopefully, the tree stump itself has begun growing again, bringing new life. For me it is symbolic of the strength of nature, if left undisturbed, to renew and regrow. Cubbington Wood, September 2023