A HOOD Manor campaigner has been celebrating after the Government u-turned on their controversial plans to sell the country’s woodlands and forests.

Karen Wilde was one third of the driving force behind the Save Our Woods campaign which were victorious last week after environment secretary Caroline Spelman admitted, ‘We got this one wrong’.

The 39-year-old said: “I’m absolutely chuffed to bits.

“I was very pleased the Government listened to the public and very pleased they had the humility and courage to admit it was not an appropriate way of moving the debate about forest management forward.

“The most important point to take away is if the public have reasoned, considered, intelligent arguments, then the Government will listen.

“You don’t need to take to the streets.”

The plans were abandoned after more than half a million people signed a petition opposing a clause in the public bodies bill which would have meant England’s public forests being sold to private companies.

More than 400 ‘love trees valentines’ letters were sent to peers in the House of Lords after Karen’s appeal for people to support the campaign in the Warrington Guardian earlier this month.

She added: “An independent panel has been set up to debate the role of the forestry commission and it’s still a worry just how independent that will be so we’ll be keeping an eye on that and the campaign is not stopping yet.

“The achievment is for everybody in the country.

“More than half a milliion people has done this, all coming from the same place, saying the same thing.

“I’m proud to be a part of that and in 20 years when I look back, I’ll probably think ‘wow, I was right in the middle of that’.”

The web designer and writer is now off to Australia to write her latest book after the campaign helped shape her story’s characters.