January Volunteer Day

Yesterday saw our first volunteer Sunday of the year. It was wonderful to welcome back regular volunteers, see some new faces and reconnect with the woods again.

The morning was spent clearing bramble from an area of the site we haven’t worked in for a while. A large area was cleared, the bramble at points growing up into the branches of some of the specimen trees. It was great to all be out in one area making such a visible impact.

After a lunch by the fire, focus switched to clearing rhododendron from around a large Hungarian oak. Meanwhile another group of volunteers marked the start of the year by planting a new specimen tree – a Stewartia sinensis. Rare in cultivation, this now takes pride of place in our central clearing. We also removed a large patch of bramble which was blocking the view to our Katsura and champion Golden Larch, very rewarding!

Before and after

A massive thank you to everyone that came along and put in so much energy, we look forward to working with you again over the coming year.