Royal Watch News

Queen Elizabeth honoured with 100ft forest carving

Jan 3, 2013, 16:01 GMT

Queen Elizabeth

Britain's Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee has been commemorated with a 100 foot letter 'E' cut into a forest.

Volunteers banded together to cut hundreds of trees in South Downs, East Sussex, in order to create the giant letter to honour the monarch's milestone last year.

The mammoth project was spearheaded by local farmer Carola Godman Irvine, and relied solely on royal enthusiasts devoting their time and local companies donating machinery.

She said: 'It has been a real community effort and it wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for the generosity of a number of local businesses.

'They said they wanted to help out so they could tell their children and grandchildren in years to come that they were part of it.'

The giant letter 'E' was plotted using satellite imaging, and permission was granted for the tribute by Natural England and the South Downs National Park Authority.

The volunteers have battled the elements, including heavy rainfall and wind, but the project is nearly finished.

Carola added to The Argus newspaper: 'We have been working through gale force wind and torrential rain but we are just about there.

'We just need to clear some of the felled wood and we are done.'

The forest memorial is similar to a large 'V' that was created in the village of Streat, East Sussex, to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897.