1999 and THE FORMATION OF TAG

The Tree faces Queen's Ride. The PRS Memorial faces Gipsy Lane. After the PRS Memorial was installed the amount of people who climbed the embankment between The Tree and the Memorial increased significantly.

By 1999 marked soil erosion had occurred, both from rainwater and from this increased foot traffic. This erosion (left) exposed "The Tree" roots (below) and covered the base of the PRS Memorial.

From a safety viewpoint the soil erosion meant that there was nowhere to stand around the tree in safety. Visitors gathered on the pavement-less road causing a danger to themselves and car drivers who had little time or room to manoeuvre once they came over the humpback bridge on this busy, but very narrow section of Queen's Ride.

Although Fee was a regular visitor to the site her husband of twenty years, Kevin has never been: - until 1999. When he arrived and saw the muddy, bank he commented,

"Someone should build steps here before somebody falls and breaks a leg".

From that simple observation from someone who has never been a 'Bolan Fan', the idea of 'The Steps' was born and from it TAG!

  THE SITE WAS UNSAFE & GETTING WORSE!

It was clear that as much of this soil errosion had happened since the PRS Memorial Stone was laid less than three years earlier that urgent action was needed to make the site safe. Fee felt strongly enough about the site to know that only hard work and determination would make it a reality.

  TAG SEEKS PERMISSION TO BUILD STEPS

The landowners were Railtrack so TAG wrote to them asking for permission to build steps and care for the site on an ongoing basis. We did not ask for a lease on the land and certainly never even drempt of asking to own The Bolan Tree.

  TAG NOT TAKEN SERIOUSLY

Initially Railtrack did not take TAG's proposals too seriously. Neither did Richmond Council, who TAG contacted with regard to planning permission. Both wanted Architect drawn plans of the steps.

Fortunately Kev and Fee's friend Mark Rowe, who was not a Bolan fan found a friend willing to help. Graham worked for Tower Hamlets Council in London, although he like Kev, Fee and Mark lived in the Midlands. Graham was a volunteer for the National Trust property 'Whitley Court' and worked there in his own time for free as NT worked towards getting Whitley Court's fountains operational and the grounds laid out as they were when the house was at its peak and Royalty regularly visited.

Graham, also not a Marc Bolan fan, understood why people do work for free on land that is not theirs. Because it needs doing and if no one else is doing it - then the only way it will get done is as they say "if you do it yourself!". Graham drew up the plans and didn't charge TAG anything at all. Many thanks Graham.

Although in the past people had 'talked' of 'doing something' at the Tree Site TAG was the first group who had demonstrated, by getting all that Railtrack had asked for in the way of architect plans and resident approval that they were people who could do the job!

TAG accepted an 'in perpetuity' lease on the site surrounding both the 'Bolan Tree' and the 'PRS Memorial'. For the first time in over twenty-two years, the site was in the hands of people who cared. Read about The Lease. Responses to the Lease