Shuttleworth College successfully took cuttings from the Cubbington Pear Tree by September 2017. The Cubbington Action Group led a series of walks to view the tree in April and May 2018 to see it in bloom for the "last time". Preliminary works for HS2 in this area had commenced by May 2018. In October 2019, local residents set up a protest encampment in South Cubbington Wood to protect the Cubbington Pear Tree and other nearby woodland. A parliamentary petition was launched in September 2020 and received 20,000 signatures of support. A formal response from the Department for Transport stated "HS2 Ltd explored all possible options to avoid removing the tree, but due to its age and condition, removal cannot be avoided" and that 40 new trees had been grown from cuttings from the pear, to be grown locally. They also stated that the stump and roots of the tree would be relocated to allow it an opportunity to regrow. The tree was cut down on 20 October 2020. Some of the wood from the tree was donated to a local woodworker. Tree of the Year The Cubbington Pear Tree was entered into the English Tree of the Year competition in 2015 along with more than 200 others. It was selected by the competition's panel of experts for the 10-strong shortlist for the public vote. It won the competition having garnered more than 10,000 votes and beating famous trees such as the Ankerwycke Yew in Berkshire, the Boscobel Oak in Shropshire and the Glastonbury Thorn in Somerset. It was subsequently described by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust as the "poster-boy for all the trees along the route of HS2 ... that are under threat from the project". The tree was subsequently entered into the 2016 European Tree of the Year competition where it came 8th out of 15 entries with 7,858 votes. References 1760s beginnings 2020 in England High Speed 2 Individual trees in England Pyrus Warwick District 2020s individual tree deaths