Gillian Fahey said lack of sunlight affects her health

A WOMAN who has fostered 50 children from her home in King’s Cross has spoken about how a huge tree in front of her home has left her living in darkness, severely impacting her mental health.

Gillian Fahey, who lives on Coopers Lane, said that the tree, which is on council property, had been getting more out of control for the past six years.

She said: “It’s having an impact on my health.

“This particular morning, I got up and I was so depressed from being in the dark.

“I know trees are good for us, but they need to get them trimmed so we have some sunlight”.

Ms Fahey has spent her life fostering children and said that the house has been a shelter for many young people.

But when she raised her concerns about the level of darkness on social media site Nextdoor, she said she was “appalled” by the comments left by fellow users.

One commenter even suggested to Ms Fahey that she move to the Sahara Desert if she was unhappy.

“It made me feel very upset,” she said, “I only put the post up because I wanted support”.

Ms Fahey said she spoke to a Camden councillor about this issue when she saw him on the street but that “they never got around to doing anything”.

She said she has not been able to do anything about the tree herself because it is on council property.

A Camden spokesperson said: “In line with our tree policy, we do not prune or remove trees because they are blocking sunlight. This tree at Coopers Lane estate was inspected earlier this year as part of our regular tree maintenance programme, and the tree was pruned back on the 12th May to give a two-metre clearance from the building.”