woodland trust - winter 2005 - volunteer newsletter edition 2
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VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER
Its a campaign that had to hit the
ground running.
The Woodland Trust heard about the sale of
part of Wentwood Forest in Wales in May
this year. It became an immediate priority to
stop it falling into the hands of owners who
may continue to replant it with conifers. The
Trust had to mobilise a team and redirect
resources as soon as possible. Why? It could
be the last chance to protect this ancient
wood and restore it to its former beauty.
Wentwood Forest is home to the largest
surviving ancient woodland in Wales and is
described as a national treasure. Once a
royal hunting forest, at one point it spread
from the River Usk to the Wye Valley and is
mentioned in documents dating back to
medieval times.
Now made up of conifer plantations and
occasional patches of broadleaf trees, an area
of 352 hectares came onto the open market
to be sold to the highest bidder. The
Woodland Trust needed to raise a large
amount of money very quickly as a deadlineof mid-July had been set for bids to be
submitted. The Woodland Trust set a goal of
1.5 million for the acquisition and initial
restoration of the Forest. The public,
charitable trusts and corporate partners
were all invited to contribute urgently.
But, its the public appeal thats key to releasing
these other funds.One local man who decided
to help with the campaign was Mike Singleton
from Caerleon, whos walked the woods with
his family for the last 20 years. When he heard
about the appeal, Mike contacted the Trust and
was put in touch with another member of his
village, Tim Gwynder-Lewis.Together they put
up posters in local pubs and kennels (as lots
of people must walk their dogs in the forest)
raising awareness and asking for donations.
Mike is passionate about the campaign to
save Wentwood Forest as, Its a wonderful
Winter 2005
www.woodland-trust.org.uk/getinvolved
Beating the clock
News pages 2 & 16
Awards aplenty,win a
bottle
Phenology page 3
Talking to the press
Speakers bulletin page 4
The best speakers tales
Community Woodland
Network page 5
Join the debate
In the woods page 6
Dragonflies return
Over to you page 8
questionnaire results
Out of the woods page 10
Get sponsored the easy way
In business page 12
Ancient trees page 13
Volunteer
opportunities page 14
Frequently asked
questions page 15
Getting in touch page 16
continued on page 12
WTPL/Steven Kind
Voluntary contributor
Paula Thornton
explains how Wentwood
Forest was rescued in the
nick of time and howvolunteers played their
part in saving it.
INSIDE
Mike is passionate about the
campaign to save Wentwood
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We hoped the first issue would be a success
but we have been overwhelmed by the positive
response. Over 100 people replied to the
questionnaire and weve summarised what was
said and answered some of the questions raised
in an article on page 8.
We are also really pleased that so many
volunteers have been able to contribute to this
issue, not just in co-operating with interviews
but also in writing, illustrating andproofreading. Plans are afoot to involve even
more people with the next issue and we hope
that many will be inspired to get in touch and
contribute, evolving this into a newsletter both
for volunteers and by volunteers.
If you are enjoying finding out more about what
fellow volunteers are doing, dont forget that
there are many ways you can share information
with others.You can submit an article*, raise a
question for the FAQ section of this newsletter,
and Community Woodland Network,Ancient
Tree Forum and phenology volunteers can use
the online forums.
Issue three will be out in the spring. If you
would like to contribute, please get in touch by
the end of this year.We look forward to
hearing from you.
The Volunteer Team
PS.Thank you for your continued support. It is
invaluable.
* We really welcome your contributions and will always try to
publish all your articles but space restrictions mean that we
cant guarantee it. If youd like to check that we can include
your article before you write it,please get in touch with
Sallyanne, the editor. See page 15 for contact details.
2 email: [email protected] .uk tel: 01476 581111
NEWS
Volunteer of the Year
Award winnersAll Woodland Trust volunteers do a brilliant job. Everyyear the Trust has the difficult but important task of
choosing which volunteers to recognise through our special awards. Well
done to the following who are 2005s winners, many of whom have been
featured in the first two issues of the Volunteer Newsletter.
Win a bottleShare with us any favourable comments youve received from the
public about the Trusts woods and its work, or stories behind
woodland dedications and legacies, and you could be a
winner. The quotes will be used in our literature to
encourage others to support us. The best one will receive
a bottle of Woodland Trust wine. Write to Stella Williams
in our Grantham office (see back cover) or email
Hello again
From left to right: Karen Lifford, Carl Hughes,
Julie Reynolds and Merle Dekanski
The Woodlanders South East
England regional winners
Pepper Wood Community Group
for the Midlands region
Elaine Gathercole Northern
England region
Bryn Jacob Wales
Stephen Bennet Scotland
Robert John Cousins Northern
Ireland
Hema Gopalakrishnan
* Central office
Peter Eyles South West England
regional winner
Malcolm Caporn * Central office
Andrew Bonehill Voluntary
speaker
Peter Bloxham Project volunteer
Lesley Nickell Corporate
volunteer
Gary Mead Phenology volunteer
Pete & Liz Holmes Photographers
Victory Wood Volunteer Group
Fundraising
When you receive the newsletter, the new tree planting season will be just
beginning. Tree For All events are happening all over the country. To find out
whats going on near you, go towww.treeforall.org.uk/GetDigging
or call 01476 581155. Come along and bring friends and family too if you can.
Volunteers will be needed to help at some events. Well be contacting some
local volunteers about this soon.
Can you dig it?
Joint overall winners of the
Kenneth Watkins Memorial Medal
* Joint award
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VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER 3
PHENOLOGYThe Woodland Trust runs the UK Phenology Network with the Centre for Ecology
and Hydrology. It gathers crucial information about how climate change isaffecting UK wildlife, with the help of over 21,000 recorders.
To become a phenology volunteer, visit www.phenology.org.ukor call 0800 026 9650.
Anyone can register as a recorder for the UKPhenology Network, and its completely free.There
are two recording seasons, spring and autumn.You
dont have to record each event during
every season. It is up to you how much
information you contribute.
Recording means looking out for
natural, seasonal events and writing
down the dates as you observe them.
We provide you with a list of things
to record. Theres no need to be a
wildlife expert.
We give clear
information on
identifying species
and recognising the
seasonal changes.
We will keep in
touch with you via post and email, sharing the latest findings.
You can opt out of these mailings at any time. Most of our
recorders have found the experience fascinating. To register,
contact us via the website or number above.
Watch out
o n t h e r e c o r d
Name: Miranda Hodgson
Age: 43
Location: Broughton, Brigg,North Lincolnshire
Occupation: part-time Royal Horticultural Society
student, part-time web-designer/constructor. Starting a
gardening business soon (www.wildchicken.com)
Interviewed for: BBC World
The experience: It was quite strange but excellentfun.There was just the cameraman present, who doubled
as an interviewer, and we spent about four hours walking
about the local woods on a brilliantly sunny spring day. It
was perfect. Every new leaf seemed to glow with light
and colour and the whole place looked absolutely
marvellous. I would point out something of interest
new beech leaves or bluebells and he would then film
me talking about it. Sometimes the light was wrong, or Id
fumble my words, and we had to do it again but that was
okay. The cameraman was very calming and patient, and
obviously knew what he was doing.
Name: Glenda George
Age: 53
Location: Craigellachie, Banffshire
Occupation: writer, adult education tutor
Interviewed for: The Aberdeen Press and Journal
The experience: Overall it was a positive
experience and the resultant article was pretty good.
It was nerve-racking because I felt I was not justrepresenting myself. I was trying to put across messages
about UKPN. But the journalist wanted to talk about
global warming.
My advice would be to try and get an idea of what
angle the media person is going to take beforehand.
Have a list ready of the points you want to make and
be a bit like the politicians. . . make sure you make those
points even if there is no directly relevant question! If
the interviewer will allow you to answer questions by
email, jump at the opportunity the facts will be there
in black and white.
Miranda Hodgson and Glenda George share their experiencesof talking to the press for the UK Phenology Network.
The UK Phenology Network receives many requests for interviews. If you would liketo become a voluntary media spokesperson, contact the volunteers team.
Recording Form Autumn 2005
Name:Amanda Sharp
Location:Autumn Park
Click on a table cell if you wish to enter an observation directly onto the form. the entry box will appear in the top
lefthand corner of your screen. Enter your date in the form requested - dd/mm/yyyy e.g. 01/04/2004.Click on the appropriate cell and press delete if you wish to delete an observation.
The symbol indicates the events that were most recorded last autumn.Focusing on one or more of these might help to get you started.
Group 1 - Trees & shrubs: leaf tints & fall
Species
Ash
Beech Silverbirch Elder
Hawthorn Hazel
Horsechestnut Field maplePendunculateoak
SessileoakRowan
Sycamore
FirstTint
01/10/2005
01/09/2005
FullTint
10/10/2005
L ea f Ti nt B ar e
Enter observations
EnterobservationsPrintrecordingform
ForgottenpasswordChangedetailsSpecialObservations
Photo by Peter Paice,
phenology volunteer
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SPEAKERS BULLETIN
Our network of over 100 voluntary speakers all over the UKplay an invaluable role spreading the word about the Trusts work.
To find out more about becoming a speaker or if you know of an organisationor group that might like to book a presentation,
contact Nick Sandford on 01476 581135 or email [email protected]
4 email: [email protected] .uk tel: 01476 581111
Earlier this year, our voluntary
speakers were asked about their
experience of giving talks. Here
are some of the brilliant tipsthey came back with.
Say what you are going to say, say it
and say that youve said it.
Check visibility from every corner
seat and recruit a can you hear me
helper from the back row.
Open a talk by reflecting on the
importance of woods and trees in
our childhoodan interactive session
with the audience gets them involved.
Dont use too many facts andfigures... develop your own storyline
and work in some personal
anecdotes.
Make sure you know the length of
your time slot and dont let the chair
alter it significantly on the night.
Get there early and listen to the
proceedings to get links into your talk.
Work in examples of local woods and
topical issues to add interest.
Get information in advance on the
likely composition of the audience.
Think about what will appeal to them
and the type of questions they may ask.
Try putting a set of leaflets on each
seat with the Welcome one uppermost.
Engage your audience by being
enthusiasticenjoy it.
Top ten tips
In December, we will be sending all voluntary speakers our annual questionnaire. We
will be asking for the name of each group you have spoken to over the past year and an
estimate of the size of audience. So please keep a note of this information if you can.
Projectors up
for grabsIf you are a voluntary
speaker and do
not have your
own slide projector,
please let Nick know. Rob
Farman, a retired speaker, hasdonated some which were being
discarded by his employers, BT.
They should be available by the
end of the year after safety testing.
And some of the best talesI went to a venue on a cloudless day to find the janitor had removed the curtain for
cleaning. I had to give the talk in brilliant sunlight without slides.
Jim Dickinson, Hampshire
I was asked to hold the screen to the curtain rail using my tie. At another talk I was
asked to judge a competition for best conkers.
Roger Tolman,Worcestershire
In 1997, I attended a tree planting event at Ugley Green. A lady there wascelebrating her 100th birthday. Four years later, I showed a slide of the event at a WI
talk. A buzz went around the room [and] the lady chair delightedly informed me that
the lady in the picture was this months cover girl in the WI magazine.
Bob Macdonald, Essex
Donations resulting from voluntary speaker talks in the first
half of 2005 totalled 3,104.This is our highest ever half
year total, beating the previous record by one pound.
End of year questionnaire
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Computer ageIf you have a data projector and would
like copies of the speaker
slides on CD, let Nick
know and he will put one
in the post for
you (its too big
for the email).
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VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER 5
Why not continue this debate by logging on to www.yourwoods.org.uk and joining the discussion forum?
In favour of natural colonisation
Over 130 delegates attended theCWN Conference on the 17 and 18 June
at University College,Worcester. It was
the second attempt to organise this years
conference after the first was thwarted by a
fire at the original venue. But it was an
inspiring experience with demonstrations,
talks, workshops and a wood visit hosted by
the Friends of Pepper Wood. A full
conference report is available from the
website or phone number above.
Photograp
hsbyWTPL/StevenKind
COMMUNITY WOODLANDNETWORK
The Community Woodland Network (CWN) supports community groups thatare managing woodland or creating new woods. It offers advice,
networking opportunities and funding.To find out more, call 01476 581155 or visit www.yourwoods.org.uk
Second timelucky
Left entirely to its own devices, much of lowland Britain could
be wooded after only a few decades. Nature provides a
complete self-sustaining system that has worked for millions
of years and can continue to work.
It costs nothing and does not create pollution such as
pesticides, fertilisers, vehicle emissions, plant tubes and so on.
There is guaranteed local origin of seed.Trees grown from
seeds of local origin are proven to establish better and be
more beneficial to the ecosystem.
A mix of species occurs naturally.There is random spacing of
trees. Bushy trees with plenty of side branches are likely to
occur. All of these factors provide a more diverse habitat,
encouraging a variety of species.
Trees will find it harder to naturally colonise arable and
improved land that will have been chemically treated and
there may not be a suitable local seed source available.
Engaging people, particularly children, in tree planting plays a
vital role in encouraging them to value woodland in the future.
If planting is done thoughtfully, many of the associated
problems can be overcome. For example, a local variety of
species should be planted in appropriate places, randomly
spaced in the right soil and non-pesticide means used to
weed around trees.
Special types of planting such as hedgerows or avenues are
sometimes necessary.
The results are more immediate.
In favour of planting
At the CWN conference, one workshop posed the following question to delegates. It led to a fascinating and lengthy
debate. Heres a summary of some of the points that were made.
Is natural colonisation the best method for woodland creation?
Nature or nurture? The debate continues
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6 email: [email protected] .uk tel: 01476 581111
Dragonflies return
to their cleaned-up
homeVoluntary contributor
David Goymour
profiles a group thatis helping nature to
flourish a stones throw
from one of the worlds
busiest airports.
In woodlands to the north-west of Gatwick Airport, insects
are thriving thanks to the efforts of the Woodlanders
volunteer group. Led by Horley resident Alan Gillham, the
group looks after four woods in the Charlwood and
Newdigate area, which were bought 18 years ago by the
Woodland Trust.
The woods were very dark with unbroken tree cover then,
says Alan. We've opened up paths and glades, and insects love
the sheltered sunny spaces.
There are various ponds in the woods, which were derelict
and dried up when the Trust bought them. The Woodlanders
have carried out clearance work, which has brought back
water and light to the ponds, and now the dragonflies have
returned.Trees like willows suck out a lot of water, explained
Alan.So we removed the willows to restore the ponds.
The group works largely with hand tools, and the number
of volunteers who might turn up at any one time is, says
Alan, variable and unpredictable. He adds: We co-ordinate
our efforts with the Gatwick Greenspace Partnership, which
consists of several local authorities working together. We
share people and equipment.
In the summer, they are mainly busy with routine path
clearance work.
The group is also keeping alive the traditional skill of
coppicing: cutting small-diameter wood at regular intervals
from young trees, which provides useful timber without
killing the plants, and also lets light in, improving the
environment for wildlife.
Cut hazel every eight to 10 years and you get one-and-a-
half-inch poles, said Alan. Today it's used for hedge-laying
and not much else, but in old timber-frame buildings with
daub and wattle between the timbers, the hurdle was made
with hazel poles.
Coppicing these poles was a big business supplying industry
two centuries ago: in the early days of the industrial
revolution the cotton and wool spinning industries used
vast quantities of wooden bobbins. Sweet chestnut is still
coppiced today for fence posts.
IN THE WOODSWe have nearly 700 people volunteering in our woods, doing practical tasks,
running events, surveying and generally taking good care of them.
Dragonfly:WTPL;Woodlanders:NevilleSquires
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VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER 7
C L O S E U P
Names: Peter and Judy Westgate
Ages: 73 and 65
Location: near Shaftesbury, Dorset
Occupations: retired soft fruit growers
Q: How did you first get involved?A: In 1984, we became appeal co-ordinators for the
purchase of Duncliffe Wood in Shaftesbury.We
organised fundraising events and involved countryside
artist, the late Gordon Beningfield
Q:What have you done so far?A: The appeal for Duncliffe in 1984 was followed by a
10th anniversary art exhibition and talk by Gordon
Beningfield. This later inspired the Trust to plant
Beningfield Wood at West Milton. We helped organise
events and fundraise for this as well. Gordon planted
the last trees for his 60th birthday.
We located the land in Fontmell Magna for the
creation of Brookland Wood and initiated local interest
and pledges for its purchase at auction. We continue
to work at Brookland Wood, monitoring wildlife and
carrying out other practical tasks, successfully getting
many other community groups involved.
We have become involved in other local woodland
creation projects, led various guided walks and
represented the Trust at local exhibitions.
Q:What do you enjoy about it?A: Meeting people and sharing common interests.
Encouraging young people and seeing the results of
local projects. One never stops learning and we enjoy
sharing experiences.
We love planting the trees, watching growth and
monitoring progress and failures. We admire the
changing seasons and the variety of colours and wildlife.
We marvel at the age and history of the veterans.
My patchJanet Anders introduces the Friends of
Philipshill Wood.
It is just over ten yearssince the Woodland
Trust bought this
ancient woodland site
on the borders of
Bucks and Herts. Its
ancient origins have been
concealed by recent
conifer planting, but acareful investigation reveals
its rich archaeological
heritage, with old earth banks, saw pits and charcoal hearths
stimulating the imagination. It is a much valued wood, and
many contributed to the purchase, often referring to it as
our wood. It is not surprising therefore that a keen team
of volunteers enjoys a weekly working party.
We concentrate on managing paths, clearing round the
earthworks and opening glades to encourage wildflowers
and butterflies, leaving the heavy work to a horse logger
who is able to remove large timber without damaging the
ground. One recent activity was to collect bluebell seed,
which will be sown later in areas cleared of conifers. In
contrast, the foxgloves come up with vigour wherever
light is restored.
We are learning more about our wood, and one member
has carried out a GPS survey, producing accurate maps
showing the location of the earth-works, orchids and many
other features.We survey the 16 tawny owl boxes,of which
two or three are used each year, and have also provided
bird and wildflower surveys for the management plan.
We also show a class from a local school round the wood
each term to see the changing seasons, and theygenerously respond with a cake sale, which is financing
provision of bird nest-boxes.
If you would like to write a My patch piece,
contact the editor. See page 15
Dennis, a Friend of Philipshill Wood
checks an owl box.
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10 email : volunteers@woodland-trust .org.uk tel : 01476 581111
OUT OF THE WOODSThere is a plethora of volunteer opportunities outside of the woods all over the UK.
C L O S E U P
Q: How did you first get involved?A: In April this year I decided that the final project for my graphic design
degree would involve promoting British woodland to children. I emailed the
Trust asking about any opportunities that may help with this.
Q: What are you doing for the Trust?
A: I am producing an activity leaflet to be used bychildren visiting Plas Power Wood in Wrexham
and a series of sheets children can print off the
Internet to make their own Woodland Log Book.
Q: What do you enjoy about the role?A: We held research sessions with a class of 910 year olds in the wood and at the
school. I really enjoyed talking with them about the woods and the design of the leaflet.
Q: Is the work that you do useful to you for any other reasons?
A: Firstly, it has been great to get feedback from people outside my course. I am now considering a career that involvesboth design and educational work with children. Im really proud to have my experience with the Woodland Trust
on my CV. I have already had interviews where this has helped me to talk more confidently about my abilities.
Q:Why do you think the Trust's work is important?A: The educational work that the Trust does is great. As every school now has Internet access, the Trusts online
learning resources are available to all children. They can be used by teachers who may not have time to research
and prepare materials themselves.
Q:What do you enjoy about trees and woods?
A: Woods have always been places I enjoy with my family. Some of my best memories are playing with my brothers andsister, making dens, laying tracks and being ambushed.Were all adults now but we still love exploring the woodstogether and getting lost in the dark.
The Chair of the Woodland Trust is an influential
helmsman, ably helping to steer the organisation
into the future. Like all our trustees, the Chair is
also a volunteer. Peter Oliver has just retired
from this role after seven years, and his services
to wildlife conservation were deservedly
recognised with an OBE in the Queens birthday
honours. Former Deutsche Bank managing
director, Dr John Lake, has now taken on the
challenge and has a wealth of experience to
offer. He has been a trustee since 2001.
When vacancies become available on the Woodland
Trust board, they are advertised in specialist press
and on www.woodland-trust.org.uk/getinvolved
A fond farewell
Name: Joanne Blaker
Volunteer role: designer/illustrator
Age: 22
Location: Huddersfield
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i e w f i n d e r
VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER 11
Keep onrunningBack in June, the Tree
Huggers Team joined
6,000 people from 45
countries to run the
third Edinburgh
Marathon. They did it
as a relay team in an
incredible 3 hours 50
minutes, raising 250
for the Trusts Tree For
All campaign.
A brilliant effort.
Taking part in a sponsored activity is an easy and
entertaining way to raise funds for the Trust and these
days it neednt involve waving a sponsorship form
under the nose of anyone who comes your way. It can
all be done online.
For more information contact Phillipa Fisher on
01476 581125 or visit the website
www.woodland-trust.org.uk/sponsoredevents
Name: Bob MacdonaldVolunteer role: speaker and
photographer
Age: 68
Location: Ongar, Essex
Occupation: retired Metropolitan
police officer
Q:What have you done for the Trust so far?
A: In the last fourteen years I have given over one hundredtalks and have received about 2,000 in donations. Moreimportantly, I have made
direct contact with around
4,000 members of the public
from many organisations
thus supporting one of the
Trusts key objectives of
increasing public awareness.
Q:What do you enjoy about your role?A: I have always enjoyed photography, and it has been apleasure to visit all the woods in Essex, building up a year
on year slide record of their development which I have
incorporated into my talks.
I feel that the Woodland Trust
is simply the best and most
professional body when it comes
to woodland conservation and I
am proud to be able to help it
spread the word.
Q:What inspires you about woodland?A: As I say in my talks, the sense of tranquillity, timelessness and
continuity they give us. In an
increasingly fast moving world,
trees and woods remind us to
slow down, to reflect on our
heritage and consider what
the world will be like for
future generations.
Bob Macdonald was the Trusts South East Volunteer of the Year in 2003
From left to right: Lorna Henderson, Paul and Fiona Molloy with son
Robert, James Cooke and Joanne Rae
Lorna Henderson
C L O S E U P
A n e y e f o r a g o o d p i c t u r e ?
Then the Woodland Trust needs you. See page 14
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The Yellow Woods Challenge is a schools
environmental campaign run by Yellow
Pages and the Trust, working with local
authorities across the UK.
School children simply bring their old Yellow Pages
directories to school for recycling and they learn
about paper, recycling and woodland conservation.
There are prizes to be won and it raises money for
the Trust. Since 2002, more than half a million
participating pupils have recycled almost 890 tonnes of directories
and benefited from around 125,000 worth of educational materials.
We are looking for more volunteers to attend regional launch events
and award ceremonies on behalf of the Trust. This sometimes
involves talking to schools about our work and highlighting how they
can help by collecting Yellow Pages.
For further information or to register for either of these tasks,
please contact a member of the volunteers team.
12 email : volunteers@woodland-trust .org.uk tel : 01476 581111
area under threat, but heres an opportunity to get a
swathe of broadleaf forest into working order and to
get more people there to enjoy it.
Its this broadleaf woodland that the Woodland Trust is
determined to save. Many of the ancient trees were
felled in the early part of the 20th century and coniferplantations now cover around three quarters of
Wentwood Forest. The non-native conifers are
changing the eco-system of the ancient forest site
preventing natural daylight getting in, damaging the soil
and coating the ground in pine needles.
But the pockets of broadleaf trees that do exist help to
support 23 species of butterfly, 75 bird species and
plants like the bluebell, yellow pimpernel, enchanters
nightshade and wild daffodil.
Ancient woodland is richer than any other type of wildlife
habitat.With the Trusts expertise, its possible to restore
the ancient woodland that remains.Not only is the Trust
able to plant new broadleaf trees, but once the canopy of
conifers is carefully removed, seeds from the mature
native trees remaining can germinate. This is one of the
reasons why Wentwood Forest became such a priority
for the Woodland Trust. Not only did ancient woodland
features still exist, but the Trust believed they were under
threat and could be regenerated.
And, judging by the response to the appeal,Wentwood
Forest is close to very many peoples hearts. The fast
turnaround campaign has hopefully paid off. Around
20,000 people gave their support, and the Supporter
Services Team describes it as being the Woodland Trusts
most successful campaign ever. Supporters UK-wide
donated 1.2 million.
When the Trusts first
offer was rejected,
people called in to
redouble their pledge
money. As we go to
press, a second, higher
offer has been accepted
and the Trust is hoping
to exchange contracts shortly.
Funds are still needed for the future management
of Wentwood Forest to donate online please visit
www.savewentwoodforest.org.uk or contact Kavita
Heyn on 0117 927 2337. If you would like to help with
the fundraising effort, contact the volunteers team.
continued on from front page IN BUSINESSThe Trusts work with companies gives a huge
boost to our native woods. There are manyways that volunteers can help.
Green ChristmasFor eight years we have been encouraging the public to recycletheir Christmas cards. After the Christmas of 2004 a staggering 58
million were collected.This not only reduces waste going to landfill
but raises money to plant new trees. Our partnerships with Tesco
and WHSmith have opened up even more opportunities.
Effective communication is
the key to getting even
more cards recycled. And
this is where our
volunteers can help. This
Christmas, we need people
to take literature to
doctors surgeries, libraries
and schools and so on. If
you are a member of your
local WI or Rotary Club
or other community group,
these are ideal places to
promote it.
Yellow Woods
Yell/Citigate
the Woodland Trusts mostsuccessful campaign ever.
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8/14/2019 Woodland Trust - Winter 2005 - Volunteer newsletter edition 2
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VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER 13
ANCIENT TREESWe have teamed up with the Ancient Tree Forum to celebrate ancient trees and do all
we can to conserve them. Read about whats happening in this section and, if youhave Internet access, please help keep the discussion forum alive by logging onto
www.ancient-tree-forum.org.ukor www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk
Name: Phil Marshall
Volunteer roles: copywriter
for the Ancient Tree Forum and
Volunteer Newsletter writer
(Ancient Trees)
Occupation: regulatoryservice manager,Yorkshire Water
Age: 40
Location: Holmfirth, West Yorkshire
Q: Describe what you do for the Woodland TrustA: I research and write a monthly website article for the
Ancient Tree Forum, spotlighting a different county
each time and highlighting its top locations for ancient
trees and woodland. I also research and write copy
for this page of the Volunteers Newsletter!
Q: How did you first get involved?A: I joined the Trust in 1994, after seeing an information
board at Coed Aber Artro in Wales. A few years ago,
I found that I had some spare time, so I offered my
services to the Trust. My first voluntary activity
other than planting hedges and trees in South
Yorkshire was to produce PR Guidelines for
Volunteers with the UK Phenology Network.
Q:What do you get out of it?A: I know that whatever I do whether its picking up
litter at one of the Trusts locations or writing about
ancient woodland its making a valuable
contribution.
Q:Why do you think the Trusts work isimportant?
A: Ancient trees and ancient woods are part of ournatural heritage. Trees and woods are essential for
our environment, our economy and our communities.
The Trusts work is vital in preserving this for us and
for future generations.
Page edited by ancient trees volunteer, Phil Marshall
C L O S E U POld, fat
and gnarled Whose line is it anyway?
Its actually Clive Andersons andfor once its not taken from the
popular quiz programme. He was
talking about the hunt for ancient trees,
comparing himself with tongue firmly
in cheek to the sort of tree that the
Trust and the Ancient Tree Hunt is keen to hear about.
PhotographbyNolKingsley,FRPS,www.noelkingsley.com
Anyone can help to do this. Perhaps you
pass a great old tree every day. So next time,
please make a note and tell us about it.
We already know where some of our ancient trees are butweve very little information about them. No doubt there
are others too, which we dont know about.
What we want you to do too is go out and record them, noting
their species, location and girth.Were looking for the sort of
tree thats so big youd need to join hands with at least two
other people to encircle it. So, join us on the Ancient Tree Hunt.
Join the Ancient Tree Hunt
As Clive Anderson says
To find out how to register your ancient trees, log on to the surveying
and recording section atwww.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk or send
details to Jill Butler at the Trusts Grantham office (see back cover).
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14 email : volunteers@woodland-trust .org.uk tel : 01476 581111
Photographers
UK-wide
Re-vamped and updatedthis year, the volunteer
photographers scheme is for
anyone with a keen interest
in photography and a good
eye for an image. All kinds of
photography is required by
the Woodland Trust on an
ongoing basis so, whatever
your photography style, your
skills will be needed. For more
information visit our web pages
www.woodland-trust.org.uk/
woods click on pictures of our
woods and follow the picture
library link.
ElectricalappliancetestingGrantham, Lincolnshire
Do you have or know
someone who has PAT
qualifications? People are needed
to come to our Grantham office
on a regular basis to check the
many small appliances we use.
Ideally this would be during office
hours, but some flexibility may be
possible. Currently this
opportunity is only applicable
to our Grantham office but,
depending on its success,we
may look to involve volunteers
in testing the equipment at the
home offices of our regional staff.
Bat and watervole monitoringCambridgeshire
Do you have wildlifemonitoring experience that
you would like to put to good
use? Many of our sites in the
county are in need of surveys
so that we can ensure that
bat and water vole habitats
are not harmed by essential
management activity. Ideally
you will be knowledgeable
about the identification signs
and will appreciate that these
animals must not be handled
or disturbed as this is not
necessary for monitoring
purposes.
Conservationgroup supportNorfolk/Suffolk
The Woodland Officer inthis area has a number of
successful volunteer groups
who carry out significant
amounts of high quality work
for us. He would like to be
able to provide increased
levels of support to these
groups and would also like to
develop new groups. Do you
have good communication
skills and the ability and time
to travel to meet groups
across these counties to help
us to support them?
VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIESHere are a few of the volunteer opportunities available at the Woodland Trust.
To find out about these and others, please contact the volunteers team. Opportunitiesare also advertised on our website. Visit www.woodland-trust.org.uk/getinvolved
Scottish wood
protectionresearcherhomebased
Do you have the skills toidentify and audit the current
status of ancient woodland in
local plans and structure
plans across Scotland? The
information you provide will
help to produce a league
table for our Public Affairs
team who wish to target
those local authorities who
have high concentrations of
ancient woodland with little
protection from development.
WTPL/DavidLund
Ancient Tree
Hunt mappingUK-wide
Some Trust sites containancient trees that need to be
recorded.Volunteers are
needed in these areas to carry
out this recording for us.
Ideally, recorders or someone
they know should have access
to the Internet so they can
record the details of the
trees using the online facility
on the website. To do so, visit
www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk
and click on surveying and
recording.
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8/14/2019 Woodland Trust - Winter 2005 - Volunteer newsletter edition 2
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VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER 15
Yes, as you suspected, you should have reported the fall. Any incidents that happen
while youre acting as a volunteer, wherever you are and whether or not they involve injuries
or damage, should be reported to your task manager, someone in the volunteer team or
another member of staff as soon as possible.Whoever you contact will arrange for the
relevant action to be taken. This will include putting an entry in the Trusts incident book;
you may need to provide details for this.
If you witness an incident or near miss involving a member of the public or property on one
of our sites, this should also be reported. Safety is of paramount importance to the Trust
and keeping tabs on incidents like these helps us to minimise risks in future.
As a precautionary measure the Woodland Trust does not advocate badges for
wardens because this may lead to the assumption that the wearer is a figure of authority,
potentially provoking attention from unfriendly elements of society and exposing volunteers
to unnecessary risk. There isnt any reason for volunteers to confront members of the public
so badges shouldnt really be needed. Legally, the volunteers role is in aid of or support of
the organisation and not that of a representative which brings with it certain contractual
obligations which volunteers should not have to carry. If you have any particular problems
that you feel require you to have some identification please discuss the issue with your taskmanager or a member of the volunteer team.
Many of our site users are dog walkers and consequently the control of dog muck is
a constant problem. In many cases we have managed to get help from Parish Councils who
have, in turn, put pressure on their local authority to provide dog bins at the site entrances.
To avoid ongoing management costs, we have offered to pay for the initial installation and the
other parties have funded the periodic emptying of the bins. Also, clear signage and
reminders by the voluntary wardens has encouraged dog-owners to co-operate, but, alas,
there will always be someone who will not.
If you come across any litter problems on Trust sites, dog muck or otherwise, please advise
the site manager who will arrange for the problem to be cleared appropriately.We ask that
you dont attempt to deal with any litter, unless specifically requested by the site manager,
because recent changes in legislation mean that we must use certified agents to deal with
litter removed from our sites.
I recently tripped on
a loose path surface
and sprained my wrist
when I was walking
through the wood Im
researching. Should I have
reported it to anyone?
QQ AA
When I'm visiting a
wood as a volunteer
warden, I would like to
wear a badge showing that
I'm representing the
Woodland Trust. Is this
possible?
QQ AA
We welcome contributions to this newsletter.
Short items or ideas for longer articles can be sent to:
email: [email protected]
post: Sallyanne Flemons, Editor, the Volunteer Newsletter,
The Woodland Trust,Autumn Park, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG31 6LL
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
We received this question
from Brian T Thornalley of
Loughborough
As voluntary warden of
Willoughby Wood, I was
mortified to find. . . a stash
of bags of dog dirt . . . I
reported the incident to
HQ only to learn [that this]
is a common problem...so
what can be done?
QQ AA
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8/14/2019 Woodland Trust - Winter 2005 - Volunteer newsletter edition 2
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Woodland Trust volunteergroup,The Friends of Park
Wood, have won a coveted national award. It recognises
their efforts to convert an overgrown, litter-strewn
wasteland into a thriving traditional English woodland.
They were named adult
group section winners of the
Nationwide Awards for
Voluntary Endeavour at a
glitzy presentation
at Lords Cricket
Ground. The
Friends, based in
Waterlooville,
Hampshire, will receive a 3,000
prize that they can spend on
equipment and interpretation
facilities at Park Wood.
NEWS.. .
16 email : volunteers@woodland-trust .org.uk tel : 01476 581111
Stop
press
The credits
...and everyone who provided pictures for free or agreed
to be interviewed. If youd like to help with the next issue,
see page 15.
Getting in touch
The Woodland Trust
Autumn Park, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG31 6LL
Tel: 01476 581111 Fax: 01476 590808
BT Textdirect: 18001 01476 581135
email: [email protected]/getinvolved
Name: Dean Weir
Volunteer role: warden
for Corcrain Community
Woodland
Age: 38
Location: Portadown,
County Armagh
Occupation: caretaker
for a block of flats. Thats whyI love to escape into the
woods regularly
Q: How did you first get involved with the Trustand how long ago?
A: About two years ago when the Trust got involvedin the management of a green area near my home.
The area had previously been something of a
dumping ground, and an anti-social hotspot.
Q:What have you done so far?
A: I try to keep the area as litter free as possible. Ihave also helped to repair the fence, which had
been repeatedly broken by someone who wanted
to use the woodland as his personal quad track.
Q:What do you enjoy about the work you do?
A: The work is very spiritually rewarding for me.Lending a hand to nature and improving habitat
for all sorts of wildlife brings its own rewards.
Providing a breathing space and tranquillity for the
community who frequent the area also gives me
pleasure.
Q:What do trees and woods mean to you?
A: When I go into the wood, the first thing I notice isthe amount and variety of birdsong.This is very
therapeutic and uplifting. I also enjoy seeing the
butterflies, insects, frogs and wildflowers. The trees
look wonderful, especially in summer when they
have all their leaves.
C L O S E U P
Paula Thornton, feature writer
David Goymour, feature writer
Phil Marshall, ancient tree
page editor
Janet Anders, My Patch writer
Bennet Aldous, cartoonist
Frances Nichols, proofreader
Vernon Robinson, proofreader
A huge thank you to this issues voluntary contributors:
Jackie Buckley and Maureen Nye
receive the award from CE of the
Nationwide Philip Williamson