Our latest volunteer network event for central England took place at Willesley Wood in Leicestershire. It was a scorching hot day, with temperatures reaching 29oC in the local area. Meeting at the Oakthorpe car park, we gathered around the map of the site (socially distanced of course!) and Ian Retson, our...
Last week I caught up with David Gedye, our fantastic woodland warden who looks after Meridan Wood for us. A small pocket of green surrounded by arable farmland, Meridian Wood is much loved by the local community in Bluntisham, Cambridgeshire. It provides a refuge for...
'Reconnecting Grantham to its historic landscape’ is a project which brings together The Woodland Trust and National Trust. The two charities are working together in partnership to achieve the project’s aims; to raise public awareness, understanding and engagement with Londonthorpe Woods and Bellmount, as well as...
The quintessential summer song of the skylark provided the soundtrack to our recent guided walk for volunteers at Trumpington Meadows Nature Reserve. Coinciding with National Meadows Day, our stroll started off just by the Trumpington Meadows Office, where allotments and greenspace have been set aside for...
Londonthorpe Wood welcomed its new bovine residents as the grazing livestock moooo-ved onto the site recently. Hereford and Charolais cows will help us to keep the scrub under control in particular areas around the Alma Wood section of the site - once they’ve grazed one compartment, they will be moved on to another. Moving the cows...
Have you ever been to Hainault Forest? If not, it’s worth a visit! As you step into this magical site you are instantly drawn into a dense wood, where mysteriously shaped hornbeams line the pathway. Their contorted and twisted forms are the result of historic...
There is still time to book onto this guided walk for volunteers at Willesley Wood, near Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire Willesley Wood is a beautiful wood found in the heart of England’s National Forest, which is in Leicestershire. It boasts a diverse range of wildlife species, with...
Just a short distance away from Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, Pepper Wood is a much-loved community woodland, enjoyed by a number of visitors from all walks of life. The Pepper Wood Woodland Working Group (WWG), also known as the Pepper Wood Community Group are based there and they are integral to the...
Woodland warden, guided walk leader and volunteer speaker, Ian Retson is a super volunteer! He is based in Leicestershire and predominantly carries out volunteering at Willesley Wood, but has also volunteered at neighbouring Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Wood (QEDJW). Ian has been volunteering with the Woodland Trust for 29 years and has supported...
Starting in August 2020, Denny signed up as a woodland warden just at a time when we looked for more volunteer support across our estate. Having volunteers who could act as our ‘eyes and ears’ on site is a huge help during ‘normal’ years, however,...