" April 1, 2012 -- Daily Mail (UK)
Heartbreak at Linda's Wood: Sir Paul McCartney's memorial to late wife destroyed by rare tree disease
It was meant to be a lasting living memory to Sir Paul McCartney's late wife, Linda.
But now great swathes of Linda's Wood in Somerset have had to be cut down because of a deadly disease that is sweeping the country.
The trees were victims of Phytophthora ramorum, or sudden oak death, which is infecting thousands of hectares of forests across the UK.
It affects larch trees in particular, although it can jump species and is also infecting other trees including the Douglas fir.
All of the larch trees in the memorial wood have been cut down, leaving expanses of empty land.
The former Beatle planted hundreds of trees in remembrance of Linda when she died of breast cancer in 1998, aged 56.
The wood borders a 100-acre nature sanctuary called St John's Wood, which the couple bought together in 1990.
Joe Duckworth of the League Against Cruel Sports, which runs the woodland area, told the Sunday Telegraph: 'Some of them were diseased and it was decided that the larch would be chopped down as a preventative measure.'
He added that a number of the species are being felled in the area.
The disease, for which there is no known cure, has destroyed millions of trees in America and is spreading across the UK, possibly after being brought over in imported plants.
Linda's Wood was dedicated to Linda McCartney in a ceremony in 1998, where children laid posies of flowers and the Salvation Army played music by Wings, the band in which both Paul and Linda were members.
The forest has since been managed by the League Against Cruel Sports, as part of its deer sanctuary.
It has endured destruction in the past, with vandals causing damage shortly after it was planted, in 2000 and again in 2003 when a quad bike was driven over 40 newly planted trees.
Paul and Linda were married in 1969 and had three children together : Mary, Stella and James.
Linda wrote several vegetarian cookbooks, started a successful vegetarian food company and was a professional photographer.
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Paul McCartney is 'On The Run'
Tour dates -- March/April/May 2012
On The Run Itinerary
MARCH 24 -- Ahoy -- Rotterdam, Holland
MARCH 26 -- Hallenstadion -- Zurich, Switzerland
MARCH 28 -- Sports Paleis -- Antwerp, Belgium
MARCH 29 -- London, England -- Royal Albert Hall (Teenage Cancer Trust Benefit)
APRIL 15 -- Montevideo, Uruguay -- Estadio Centenario (TICKETS are on sale)
APRIL 17 -- Asunción, Paraguay -- Defensores Del Chaco Estadio (Macca's video salute to Paraguay) TICKETS
APRIL 19 -- Bogota, Colombia -- El Campín stadium (not confirmed)
APRIL 21 -- Recife, Brazil -- Arrudão Stadium (code: PMBRAZIL) TICKETS
APRIL 25 -- Florianopolis, Brazil -- Ressacada Stadium
MAY 5 -- Guadalajara, Mexico -- Omnilife Stadium (code: PMMEXICO) TICKETS
MAY 8 -- Mexico City, Mexico -- Estadio Azteca (2nd date May 10th) (code: PMMEXICO) TICKETS
JUNE 4-- London, England -- Buckingham Palace -- Diamond Jubilee
VIP SOUND CHECK PACKAGES
Ticket Details:
www.paulmccartney.com www.maccareport.com