Wilder Woods

We had another very quiet month in the wood – just one volunteer day on March 7th. It was a lovely day – lots of enthusiasm and interest and our regular youth and adult volunteers turned out in force. The pond was cleared of leaves, willow was planted, more rustic steps were installed and our tree planting had a definite ‘feed the wildlife’ theme. The hard winter made us conscious that a lot of species suffered badly this season. We planted sweet chestnut, cob nuts, cherry plum and crab apple and hope it won’t be too long before they begin to supply extra sustenance to the birds and other creatures of the wood.

The wood is full of exquisite colour at the moment. Tiny specks of white and purple violets have sprung up especially in areas where we have cleared to let more light in. The primroses and bulbs – many of them donated by the villagers of Charlton Adam and Mackrell are getting more and more established. If anyone is splitting snowdrops or wild garlic or anything woodlandy (native species) please think of us, we really appreciate donations.

Also this month was the annual Charlton’s Village litter pick. CSOLP was responsible for covering the event through our BTCV insurance again. We work closely with Change our local environmental group and also with transition town movements. We collected rubbish from the stream at the bottom of the track and also up the track to Somerton Lane. I am always perturbed by the amount there is. One of our roles is to impress upon children the damage that litter can do to wildlife.

Our big news is that we have a woodland throne! We are so grateful to Stacey and Andrew Goldsworthy for generously donating a fine wooden throne to us. It will grace our fire circle and no doubt be fought vociferously over. We hope it will inspire some great stories. Look out for a photo of it in use after our April Play Scheme…

Thanks must also go to our local county councillor Jimmy Zouche who has supported and steered our group through a very difficult time. With his help, our planning application for shed and forestry access will at last go forward. What a mine field it has been. Jimmy secured a grant for us to get professional planning advice. Do support our application if you can – either with a letter or by attending the Parish Council meeting when it will be discussed. Please ask for more information if you are interested.

We have two dates planned for Hallr Wood in April – our April Woodland Play Scheme (known fondly by local mothers as the Mud Scheme) and also our next Volunteer Day on April 18th. Check out the calendar for more events and for Hannah’s activities in Drayton too.

Happy Easter, Happy Spring.