Devon community funds creation of longest oak table for gatherings

In a small woodland area near Chagford, Devon, a community project was initiated to convert a 500-year-old oak tree into a large table. After two years of gathering funds and resources, the community successfully raised £22,555 surpassing their original goals. This table, 18 meters long, is intended to accommodate 60 people and facilitate communal gatherings in a wild setting, blending nature with human interaction. Local artist Elizabeth-Jane Baldry, who conceived the idea, emphasized the importance of oak in British culture, as it symbolizes courage and endurance, and insisted that the wood be sourced locally from Devon rather than imported. Baldry has envisioned this table as a space for hope, joy, and rewilding, intertwining human imagination with nature's restoration.