Bude-Stratton Town Council is asking artists, sculptors and creatives to get in touch as soon as possible with their ideas for artwork using the wood from the fallen Triangle Tree.

At last week’s full council meeting, the council agreed the wood should be used for street furniture and a piece of artwork, which would then be sited in areas maintained by the Town Council, for the benefit of community.

It is now putting a call out for proposals from artists for the wood, which would commemorate the tree and reflect the values or history of Bude. Each proposal will then be checked for suitability, displayed at the Parkhouse Centre for members of the public to view and express preferences, and a final decision on the commission will be made by councillors.

The council also agreed that two local firms — The Men Shed Association and BARK — would work with the facilities manager to cut the tree into usable pieces for street furniture.

Cllr Philippa Purchase said: “While I was immensely sad that the tree fell during the storm, I think we now have the opportunity to create a number of excellent installations for the town. There is enough wood to create benches, plaques, signage and a significant artwork, so I am looking forward to seeing many of the suggestions from people across the town come into fruition.”

“A vast amount of work has already been undertaken since Storm Eunice tore down the Triangle Tree on 18 February,” said Cllr Purchase, chair of the oversight committee. “The tree has been cut up and removed, the Triangle has been made safe and usable and we need to thank the fantastic Facilities team for their remarkable efforts here.”

Philippa added: “Additionally, 100 small branches from the Tree have been planted in the hope they will take root, hundreds of cones have been saved ready for planting, and almost 200 suggestions from the community for the use of the wood have been analysed.”

If there are any artists interested in putting together a proposal for an artwork using the wood, they are asked to get in touch with the council at [email protected] as soon as possible, and they will send out further relevant details.