Wilder Woods » Monthly Review

John Muir Awards for conservation skills at Hallr Wood

Deb Millar — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 06:09:24 +0000

We would like to congratulate Henry, Mark, Ryan, Korey, Ashleigh and Neill for achieving their John Muir Awards for conservation. Henry, Mark, Ryan and Korey will receive the second tier of this award – the Explorer Award and Neil and Ashley have completed the first level ‘Discovery’.

Part of the Explorer Award involved a days coppicing work for the National Trust at Ivythorn Wood. The boys have also built a coracle.

The Discovery Award has focused around the bird life at Hallr Wood. The boys have learnt more about the birds we have there and have made fat logs to help the birds through the colder spells.
We had a great term – to see photos check out the Hallr Wood gallery.

http://wilderwoods.org/gallery/wilderwoods/?albumid=5552324218775637089

Summer Outreach Work

Deb Millar — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:13:36 +0000

Members of the team have been busy this summer with outreach stalls at a variety of fetes and open days. We started off helping Simon Beard and Simon Clarke at Shapwick Heath on their Avalon Marshes Open Day in May. Thanks to Jane for getting together our youth groups exhibition in time for this event. We have a long history of co-operation with wildlife groups and we enjoyed meeting lots of people. We had decided to take a break from attending the Bath and West Show – because it is four intensive days it is hard for such a small group to cover it and I was busy with forest school at the Sunrise Festival. Perhaps next year we will have more willing helpers and be able to do both.

In June Jane, Martyn and myself supported Hannah with a CSOLP stall at the Green and Scything Fair – a wonderful sustainable event which grows every year.

During July Martyn had a well attended stall at Priddy Folk Fair and also later that month at the Barton Carnival – helped by Henry. I was unable to help as I was helping at Paddington Farm Open Day.

Martyn cobbled together a superb rustic stall shelter using hazel poles and the off cuts from our main tarpaulin in time for the Charlton’s Village Day on 24th July. We had a great day toasting marshmallows (worth the 3 page risk assessment!) and were very encouraged by the interest from local people, many of whom signed our petition.

We were also invited to Farm Fest at Gilcombe Farm.

Our main summer effort was attending the Wilderness Gathering at the Bison Farm in Wiltshire from 19th August. This is a 3 day extravaganza of bushcraft enthusiasts. Hannah and Lynda offered a tranquil antidote to all the khaki and knives with their peg loom weaving and spinning, whilst Martyn and I housed the main group display and his wonderful collection of bows and spoons. We all came back inspired and I bought lots of kit for Paddington Farm so that their forest school activities can be more easily facilitated.

The last event of the summer is the Open Day at Hallr Wood on 12th September which we hope lots of local people will support.

Update from Hallr Wood

Deb Millar — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:37:46 +0000

We have just finished a week of work experience for four year 10 pupils from Crispin School. They were a wonderful enthusiastic group and we hope to see them on volunteer days in the future.
As part of general woodland maintenance the boys cleared paths and made steps, they also cut back overhanging foliage on the adjoining track for the benefit of jockeys and race horses which use it daily. On Wednesday we processed firewood and delivered a load to CSOLP treasurer, Darryl. On Thursday pupils helped mark trees for thinning and calculated volumes for a Forestry Commission license. On the last day we cooked rabbit stew and installed our sweet chestnut water barrel which will store drinking water for the wood.
Thank you to Martyn, Rosa, Jane, Peter and Eddie who helped give the boys the support they needed to make the experience valuable .
This summer we have run a few events in Hallr Wood but they have been restricted in order to comply with the 28 days ancillary use allowed by planning law. Our regular Wednesday KS4 group continues. This is a small group of older pupils who may be interested in a career in countryside management and conservation. They help with woodland maintenance. We are also due to have a Volunteer Day on Sunday 4th July so we are well ahead with our jobs.

The hot dry spell has left the willow planted last autumn looking a bit the worse for wear. We are getting short of water – could do with a good deluge to fill up our water butts. We have no mains water – everything we use is collected and drinking water is brought in.
Our planning ‘situation’ rumbles on. We continue to need support from people – anyone really- especially those who have been involved with our group or who appreciate that we are trying to restore a small uncommercial woodland for the benefit of the community.

March News from Hallr Wood

Deb Millar — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:28:13 +0000

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.