After a wet and windy winter delayed tree work, some dead branches, over mature and weak trees were removed at Allens View, Northcliff, Tenby, this week.

Tree surgeons, ARBWales, made light work of the difficult access, with high dead branches needing removal near to pathways and limited tree-felling needed as the next stage in the gradual thinning and re-planting programme.

Over-maturity, close planting and some emerging faults meant some trees needed removing.

To open up the view south more, low, long, drooping and increasingly heavy branches on the front Monterey Pine (pictured) were removed and cut up.

This would allow more light to reach the hedge beneath, whose growth there had been poor. It would also help to balance the tree which had, in the past, lost some branches on the other side.

One of the branches had weaknesses, making removal the wisest course.

The skill and safety precautions needed in such tree work require both careful management of rope security each time the worker moves, and also a degree of acrobatic balance.

Indeed, the speed and apparent ease with which tree work is done belies the near balletic skill and careful attention to safety involved.

The successful programme of fundraising for the 50th anniversary project for Allens View made the high standard of tree work needed possible.

Volunteers Nigel Davies and Alf Heaven are continuing other work, including young tree planting along the coast path hedge.

More work with benches, bush and woodland flower planting will start soon as Spring gets warmer.

Other planting will wait for the autumn and some work will delay for the winter.

Recent damage to the shed (pointless as it has been kept empty for years) was quickly rectified by Howard Rawson Humphries.

Email contact point for volunteers is [email protected].

Any donations to Tenby Civic Society, c/o Cofion Books, Bridge Street, Tenby, SA70 7BU.