woodland trust - summer 2006 – volunteer newsletter edition 3

8/14/2019 Woodland Trust - Summer 2006 Volunteer newsletter edition 3

1/16

VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER

Proposals to build more runways atBirmingham, Luton and Stansted

airports have been facing the first stage

of public scrutiny in recent months.

The airports' owners have revealed their

intentions in airport master plans, which are

subject to consultation and Woodland Trust

members have been making their views known.

One of the people cheering them on fromthe Trust's Grantham headquarters is head

of campaigns Ed Pomfret. The impact of

aviation on the environment, he explains, is

not just a general one: it poses a particular

threat to woodland.

The proposals at all three of these airports

to build new runways would damage ancient

woodland, and not just because land which is

wooded will be lost to the runways.

Hatfield Forest, for example, near Stansted, is

an important wildlife habitat. There's a huge

amount of nitrogen poured out of aircraft

exhausts, and this acts as a fertiliser for

vigorous plants which will out-compete more

delicate species and may upset the natural

balance of the habitat.

Ed has been encouraging

supporters to respond to

the airports master plans, which are the first

stage of the route which the airport owners

have to go down to get approval.

This stage of the process is now over for

these three airport schemes, but Trust

volunteers will have further opportunities to

help, when the airports submit their planning

applications. Luton's first planning application

will be submitted in the summer, Stansted's

Summer 2006

www.woodland-trust.org.uk/getinvolved

Stop the destruction

News pages 2 & 16

How youve made a million

Ancient trees page 3

Make the oak your icon

Speakers bulletin page 4

Community Woodland

Network page 5

Nelsons playground

Grants up for grabs

In the woods page 6

Keeping it in the family

Good shot! page 8

Tips for top photos

Out of the woods page 10

A secret history

In business page 12

Phenology page 13

Frequently asked

questions page 14

Volunteer

opportunities page 15

Getting in touch page 16

continued on page 12

NickCobbing

With over 340 ancient

woods under threat

on the Woodland

Trusts database

David Goymourexplains what we can

do to help save them

INSIDE

The proposals at all three ofthese airports . . . would damageancient woodland, and not just

because land which is wooded

will be lost to the runways.


2/16

Dear friends

Weve got lots to inspire you in thisissue.

If, like us, youre frustrated to seeconcrete taking the place of naturalgreen in our landscapes, youllappreciate our front cover featurearticle about campaigning.There arelots of simple things that anyone can doto save woods under threat and peoplepower really does work.There arecountless woods that wouldnt be heretoday had it not been for campaigningby people like you.

Our other feature (pages 8 & 9) is for

anyone with a good eye for a picture.The Trust can use pictures in publicityto spread the word and can evendirectly raise money by placing themon woodlandpictures.com.There arealso a few tips on how to get goodresults with a camera.

All in all this newsletter is packed with ahuge variety of ideas and articles tointerest and amuse you. Once again,were really pleased to say thatvolunteers have been responsible for a

huge part of its production.Werelooking to increase this involvement byrecruiting a volunteer editorial assistant.If youre interested, see page 15.

As always, if youd like to contribute tothe next issue in any way, please get intouch with Sallyanne, our editor (seepage 15). Shed love to hear from you.

Enjoy the summer,

Best wishes

The volunteers team

2 email: [email protected] tel: 01476 581111

NEWS

Catch the roadshowThe volunteers team are hitting the road and liaising with local staff tomeet, network and match volunteers to available tasks. Trips to the south

east, north west and north east of England and central Scotland are all

planned this year. If youre in one of these areas look out for your invitation.

We hope to see you soon.

Hello again

From left to right: Julie Reynolds, Carl Hughes, Merle Dekanski

and Karen Lifford

Dering Woodlanders Group has dissolved following the retirement of key

members. They have donated their tools to other groups in the south east

region, and a bench has been placed in Dering Wood as a thank you for their

hard work over many years.

Dering Group closes

WTPL/JamesSimpson

PeterRate

Because youre worth itIn 2005 volunteers across the Trust gave a

staggering 252,000 hours of their time, equating to

a notional worth of just over 1.9 million. Tree for

All and phenology helped push the Volunteer

Investment Value Audit (VIVA) end of year total to

a new high.

The variety of tasks that volunteers participate in

now is so great; from tree planting, wardening and

recording natures events to detailed surveying,

providing legal advice, mentoring staff and many more.

We would like to thank everyone for providing the

information that helps us to gather these results. WTPL/RebeccaWhitley


3/16

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.uk or www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.ukPage edited by ancient trees volunteer, Phil Marshall

The oak tree is quintessentially English, a symbol ofour natural heritage. From ships to shelter and firewood

to furniture, its been a practical provider for hundreds of

years. Its been an inspiration to many a poet and artist. Its

been an integral part of our natural landscape.

The oaks not our only

national treasure of

course, and maybe we all

take it too much for

granted. Well, nows the

time to find out. In a poll

its up against other

English icons, including

Stonehenge, Londons

Routemaster bus, the red pillar box and even a cup of tea.

Icons: A Portrait of England is a two-year Government-

funded project, where the public is invited to nominate

those things that it treasures most about England.The

mighty oak was one of the

first dozen icons put

forward by leading academic

and cultural figures for

consideration by the public.

Would you vote for themighty oak? To find out

more, visit www.icons.org.uk

and click on your favourite

English icon.

NolKingsley,FRPS,www.noelkingsley.com

Mapping the elm

VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER 3

Click on the IconLike the oak, the elm has a long history and

provides important wildlife habitats for

a variety of species. Over recent

decades, however, weve lost

countless wonderful old elm trees,

victims to disease, violent storms and to peoples actions.

Now you can help by contributing to the Elm Map.This was

launched during Walking Week in 2003, led by the Ramblers

Association and the Natural History Museum in London.

Ramblers have taken part in over 90 walks covering some 500

miles since then, recording hundreds of elms along the way.

As a result of their efforts, the Elm Map has provided our

Ancient Tree Hunt with more than 150 mature elms, including

a smooth-leaved elm in Glemsford, Suffolk with a girth of

some 4.75 metres.

This is an ongoing project, and you can help by entering online

atwww.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk the details of any mature

elm tree that

you know

about or that

you find when

youre out and

about.

Trees under threatElsewhere in this edition youll read about ancient

woodland under threat.This applies to ancient trees too.

The Woodland Trust and the Ancient Tree Forum wantto know of any such tree which is under threat.

Investigations can then be made and consideration

given to what action might be possible to save another

wonderful part of our natural heritage. For more

information visit www.woodsunderthreat.info TedGreen


4/16

With good reasonWe asked our speakers why they do it. Here are a few of the replies

I spent a working life teaching and lecturing, so it is what I do. I love it to bits; meeting lovely,

caring people who tell me all about their woodland experiences.Pam Farley

I used to be a professional fundraiser and wanted to offer my skills as a volunteer. Because

I love woods so much and have visited many of ours, I want to communicate that to others

and enthuse them too.Lesley Nickell

To help inform more people of the value

of woodland, especially on their doorstep

and to educate them on the work of the

Trust. I get a great deal of satisfaction

when I see how interested many

audiences are, especially when they ask

questions and want to follow up the talk

with a site visit.Ian Retson

After a lifetime in woodlandmanagement, I was made redundant

Speaking for the Woodland Trust has

enabled me to use my expertise in a way

that I enjoy.Jim Dickinson

Our Voluntary Speakers Scheme was set up in 1991 by Hilary

Allison who is now the Woodland Trust's policy director. In 2006,

the 15th anniversary of the scheme, membership has grown tonearly 100 and weve got most of the UK covered.

Many of the original joiners are still with us. Our longest servers are:

Derek Brown, Malcolm Carrington, Liz Taylor, Bob Macdonald,Derek Bedford,

Ian Hammerton (see page 5), Peter Cox, James Headford, Graham Worrall,

John Searle, David Farrier, Roger Tolman, John Godber

Thank you all for your years of service and for sharing your passion for

woods with so many people. If we have missed anyone off the list, apologies;

please let us know so we can honour you too.

SPEAKERS BULLETIN

Our network of nearly 100 voluntary speakers all over the UKplays an invaluable role spreading the word about the Trusts work.To find out more about becoming a speaker or if you know of an

organisation or group that might like to book a presentation,contact Nick Sandford on 01476 581135 or email [email protected]


Happy 15th birthday

Summing upOur annual questionnaire to

voluntary speakers shows that

during 2005,our speakers gave

301 talks to audiences totalling

10,000. Donations following

talks totalled 6,300 the

biggest annual figure we have

ever achieved.

The highest deliverers in

terms of number of talks

were Pam Farley (21), closely

followed by Peter and Rosemary

Dodd (18) (see page 16),

Margaret Anderson (17) and

Mike Hyde (16). But the total

figure was very much a

collective effort so a big thank

you to everyone.

BennetAldous

BennetAldous


5/16

A neglected bramble-

infested woodland near

Lowestoft has been

transformed by a team of

inspired volunteers, but

the wood has alreadyrepaid its saviours many

times over.

When Barry Shimmield

suggested improving

Gunton Wood at a resident's meeting more than a decade ago

he was a retired petroleum engineer who had spent many years

working abroad and had just moved to a pleasant 500 house

estate where he knew virtually no-one.

Today he is chairman of the Gunton Woodland Community

Project. So he has around 200 friends on his doorstep, has put his

retirement to good use by leading a group that has helped bring

social cohesion, purpose, achievement and fun to hundreds of people.

Since its formation the project members have cleared the 21/2

hectare wood and planted around 3,500 trees. They have fenced,

laid paths, provided information boards and have a management

scheme which includes dog waste and litter clearance a product

of their own success as the wood is such a popular place.

Their efforts have also been rewarded with The Queen's Golden

Jubilee Award for volunteer groups and the wood being

designated a local nature reserve, approved by English Nature.

To mark the bicentenary of the Battle of Trafalgar members of

Lowestoft Sea Cadets planted a large oak, particularly fitting as

Gunton Wood is reputed to have been a childhood haunt ofHoratio Nelson.

Barry and his dedicated

committee deliver regular

newsletters to 180 families and

as spin-offs from the project

there are outings, clothes

merchandising, parties and the

especially popular summer fetes.

Barry acknowledges that over

the years a great deal of help

has come from the Woodland

Trust's Community Woodland

Network in the form of

information and grants both for

new tools and training.


In early 1959 I placed a deposit on a house in

a new estate called Joydens Wood near Bexley

in Kent. My young family and I watched our

home rise up from the clay and we moved in

in time to celebrate fireworks night in themuddy garden. At the bottom of this garden

was a main pathway into the wood.

As my family grew up, our walks there got longer and my interest

in its wildlife deepened. There is so much in the wood and its the

perfect spot to find tranquillity. But by 1986, rumours began to

circulate that part of it was to be sold to another housing

developer. I joined others in suggesting a Save Joydens Wood

Appeal and was elated when in September 1987 the Woodland

Trust acquired the wood.

The night before the opening ceremony, the notorious hurricane

came and by the morning fallen

trees blocked all the entrances to

the wood.Locals rallied together

to form the Joydens Wood

Support Group.

I am the secretary and leader of the

group that still meets weekly today.

Since 1986, as well as helping to keep

the paths open, I have given several

hundred talks about the wood, led

numerous walks and encouraged many children in learning about its

wildlife. All members of the group do everything they can to care

for the wood and raise awareness of its value.

Ian Hammerton has an MBE in recognition of his services to

conservation and is a previous winner of Volunteer of the Year.

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

My patch Ian Hammerton has had a love affair with JoydensWood spanning a very eventful 45 years

Grants of up to 2,000 are

now available for voluntary

community woodland

groups. Funding can be spent

on tools, training or

promotion of the group.The

closing date is 31 July 2006.

To find out more, visit

www.yourwoods.org.uk

then click on about us and

then visit grants or call the

CWN number above.

Grants up for grabs

GuntonWoodlandCommunityProject

Mandy Hillierprofiles a group that had more reason than

most to mark the Trafalgar Bicentenary

WTPL

Nelsons playground

WTPL/BrianAldrich

Ian Hammerton

Joydens Wood


6/16


IN THE WOODSIf you go down to the woods today you could find Trust volunteers involved in

all manner of roles ranging from practical tasks, running events, surveyingand generally taking good care of our most special natural places.

Protecting Prehen for posterity

Voluntary warden George McLaughlin

explains how caring for Prehen has been very

much a family affair

It is almost the end of the nineteenthcentury, the place Prehen Woods near

Derry. There is a smell of burning.Young

George Phillips is using the leaves of the

tobacco plant, which grows in abundance around the Knox family

house at Prehen, to try out an old clay pipe.

The young Phillips boy is taking a well-earned break from his duties

working as a herds boy for the Knox family. In an estate of manyhundreds of acres including woodland, pasture land,kitchen gardens

and ornamental gardens, the demands on employees were great.

Young George looks after the cattle and a small herd of reindeer

as well as working in the woodland. As the new century dawns,

he works long hours, learning the ways of the woods, caring for

the animals and respecting the countryside.

In his late teens, love blossoms among the Prehen bluebells with

a girl called Susan Woods. They marry and have a first daughter,

Agnes. She grows up and falls in love with a boy called Jim

McLaughlin. They have a son called George.

Young George, the son of Jim and Agnes and grandson of George

Phillips is reared on mystical, romantic tales about Prehen; the

story of Mary Ann Knox and Half Hanged McNaughton, the old

Colonel, the haunted house and strange figures roaming the woods.

Because of a very close bond with his Granda he develops a

love for the freedom of the fields and the countryside. He meets

and falls for a young teacher called Aileen. They have three

children Declan, Helen and Roisin and six grandchildren.

So what has all this got to do with me, George McLaughlin, being

a woodland warden and conservationist? The answer lies in

my genealogical connection with the woodland

and the emerging generations for which the

future of the woodland has to be secured.

The duties of a woodland warden can be

quite varied. The duty of just being in the

woodland can be a joy in itself, keeping an

eye on it, tidying up if need be and looking after

our woodland animals, especially the red squirrel. All these

tasks are vital, but serious campaigning to protect the many

development threats that have faced the wood has perhaps been

the most important task.

Recently after a walk in the woods I overheard my two

grandsons talking.The younger boy said,Dont trees give oxygen

and help us to breathe? His brother replied, Yes thats right.The

younger brother then asked,Why do the bad men cut down

trees? The older boy said I dont know but wouldnt you thinkthey would know better because by cutting down the trees arent

they killing themselves?.

If the future of our woodlands lies in the questioning and thinking

of these two boys then the future is definitely very bright.

WTPL/GregorFulton

Springtime at Prehen Wood


7/16


Woods Under

Threat Casefile

Name: Pencoedtre Wood

Located: Near Barry,

Vale of Glamorgan

Size: 15 hectares/37 acres

Profile:

The Countryside Council for Wales describes this as one of the mostvaluable woods in southern Wales. It contains 46 ancient woodland

indicator species, far more than is typical for a wood of this size.

Examples include greater butterfly orchid, wood sorrel and dogs mercury.

Threat:9 hectares (23 acres) could be

destroyed to make way for a mixed

housing and industrial development.

This would be by far the greatest loss

of ancient woodland in Wales since theAssembly gave it protection under

planning regulations in 2002.

Action needed:Please write to Vale of Glamorgan District Council urgently, objecting to the

proposal. A sample letter is available fromwww.woodsunderthreat.info

then download a letter from the latest news section or call Mary Wand

on 01476 581102.

For the latest on woods under threat, visit www.woodsunderthreat.info

YoungprideSome young people find school life a

struggle. For them, the future can be

bleak.They are often tempted by crime,

many leave with no qualifications.This

can make it hard to get a job and

crushes their self esteem.

In Swindon and Wiltshire, the

Woodland Trust has been working

with BTCV to implement a scheme

called Positive Activities for Young

People. A group of students betweenthe ages of 13 and 17 have been

visiting woods and working on a range

of practical tasks like putting up signs,

coppicing and building bird boxes.

Giles Aspinall of BTCV says,Theyre

getting a real sense of achievement.

The job always gets done unlike at

school. Theyre learning practical and

social skills like using tools, how to be

a leader and work in a team. These

are going to stand them in really good

stead in the future.

At the end of every task, their pride

is palpable.

At the end of every task,their pride is palpable.

WTPL/GrahamBradley

WTPL/G

rahamBradley

WTPL

Try this

Tyrrels Wood visitors book

Want to know what visitors think

of your wood? Turn to back page

to find out how.

Pencoedtre Wood

Pencoedtre Wood one of the most valuable woods in southern Wales

Another wood is damaged by development


8/16


9/16


10/16

Do you have training that you could use to help the Woodland Trust?

Here we highlight four very different ways that people are using their

professional skills to benefit the UKs woods

Pauline Howells is a retired accountant whofirst became involved with the Trust when they

acquired a huge area of land near her home

in Fordham, Essex to create a new wood.That was two years ago and shes now

developed an internal audit framework

for the Trust.

This ensures that when the organisation spends money, it is

even more efficiently monitored than before. The framework

also enables other qualified volunteers to carry out an audit.

Such careful housekeeping pleases funders and sees every

penny well spent.

The accountant

Peter Vince, 39, is an independentmanagement consultant from Cambridge.

He has provided mentoring for two

Woodland Trust managers, and has also

helped with team problem-solving.

Mentoring is rewarding because asking

questions from an independent perspective

can often help to uncover different angles and approaches.

And I feel I'm doing something for the Trust that not

everyone could do.

Peter is also a voluntary speaker and gives talks on the

Woodland Trust to groups around Cambridgeshire.

10 email : volunteers@woodland-trust .org.uk tel : 01476 581111

OUT OF THE WOODSYou dont have to be in the woods to help the Trust

The mentor

Q: How did you first get involved?A: I became a trustee in 2001, having responded to an

advert. It was exactly the kind of thing I wanted to do

after working in the City for 20 years. I becamechairman of the Woodland Trust last year.

Q:Whats the role about?A: The most obvious part is chairing the meetings of the

Trusts Council which is responsible for governing andsupervising the Trust. But the chairman is, in some ways,

also a link between the trustees and the chief executive.

Q:What do you enjoy about it?A: Being part of an organisation that is as successful as

the Woodland Trust and helping to ensure that the

Trust can continue to achieve its aims. Most important

is the opportunity to work with such committed and

interesting people.

Q:What moves you about trees and woods?A: Despite living in the capital, I am very lucky to be near a

piece of ancient woodland full of oaks and hornbeams.

There is something really peaceful and beautiful about

many ancient woods and it is truly inspiring to be

creating new woodland for the future.

Like Pauline, Dan Ware, 35, helps theTrusts money go further but his specific

interest is in buying.He is a procurement

specialist from Manchester who works full

time in the financial services sector.

He has helped the Trust to implement aprocurement policy that ensures whatever

we purchase is good value as well as complying with our

ethical policy. His experience couldnt be more relevant as

the company he works for is also an ethical employer. Soon

they will be donating a day of Dans time as he visits the Trust

offices to deliver some training.

The procurement specialist

Name: John Lake

Volunteer role: chair of trustees

Age: 57

Location: North London

Occupation: retired investmentbanker, various non-executive posts

CLOSE U P

The professionals

Nicky Souter, 55, is senior lecturer in

biology at the University of Strathclyde.

In collaboration with the Association for

Science Education, he is writing a book forschools called Nature in a changing climate.

The publication will be offered to teachers

to use as part of the Trusts Nature Detectives project (see

page 13).

Nicky says,Ive found the insight into climate change

compelling and its kept me off the golf course where I do

most of my field observations!.

The lecturer


11/16

1875

1580the kit

chen fed 400 people

with

January 3

rd deliveries i

ncluding beef

venison, wild

boar,swans

,

sparrows, la

rks and blac

kbirds.

1658one pe

nny paid for

every

hogg[sic] f

eedingin the

woods.

1677each villager paidone hen

to the Lord forthe right to

1771 1772 much timber felled for rails,

postsand gates as partof the

process of Inclosures.

four loads

of barley de

livered to

the woods

to feed the

pheasants.

1895

20,000 tree

s planted a

t a cost

of 78-1

5s-6d.

collect wood.


Historical research:

unlocking the secrets of the pastPeter Bloxham, reveals the pleasures of unraveling the history of your local wood

Whilst enjoying a woodland walk, do you ever wonder what secrets the wood holds?What of those undulations and earthworks? Its the old park pale, the boundary

of an ancient deer park. This, in turn, is part of an ancient Royal Forest, once

renowned for vast herds of deer, an abundance of game birds, even golden

eagles: a hunting ground for king and nobility up to the 1700s.

Consider the path you follow. Its an ancient trackway a road before 1800,

dating back to Roman times.

What was that overgrown track passing through the wood? It is the route once

taken by funeral parties for burials at a neighbouring village church, known

over the centuries as Procession Way.

And what do you make of that rocky outcrop, almost hidden at one end of the wood?

Its an example of the oldest rocks in the British Isles,

formed in the pre-Cambrian period, some

700 million years ago.

From old manorial estate records (see left)

we can learn much about life in and around

the woods over the centuries.

Old maps and documents could reveal

the wood existed in the 1600s, making

it an ancient woodland.

These are just a few examples of

the details uncovered by researching

three Woodland Trust woods in

the Midlands, a truly fascinating

activity.

So why not become an

historical research volunteer

for woods in your area?

Those woods will never seem

the same again.

Extracts from

manorial estate records


12/16

67 per cent of employees believe

that employers should offer staff

the chance to donate to their

favourite causes directly from

their salary.

If you are an employee who would like to

give regularly to charity, or you think your company could offer its

staff the opportunity to sign up to payroll giving schemes, then now

is the time. Generous incentives are now being offered by the UK

Government to help set up and support payroll giving.

Payroll giving is a simple, tax efficient way to donate. Payments are

made directly from employee salaries every pay day,providing the

Woodland Trust with the security of a regular source of income.

For more information about corporate partnership

opportunities and payroll giving

visit www.woodland-trust.biz or call 01476 581112.


and Birmingham's at the end of 2006 or early next

year. Ed will be encouraging us to make our views

known to these planning inquiries.

Aviation is one of the key campaigning issues for Ed

and his colleagues. Others include climate change,

ancient trees and individual woods under threat.

The campaigns team have also been working with

members to put the record straight on badgers in the

British countryside. Early in 2006 the Government

consulted experts on how to go about culling badgers,

which Ed sees as a misguided attempt to control

bovine TB.

The scientific evidence, he says, indicates that the way

cattle are kept and moved is a more significant factor

in spreading the disease. The Government'sconsultation exercise is now finished, but hundreds of

Trust supporters made their voices heard and the

campaigns team are waiting to hear if DEFRA (the

Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

takes notice of the overwhelming weight of public

opinion.

Woods under threat

is a key battleground

for the campaigners,

and the Trust has just

launched an

interactive website to

help volunteers.

Campaigns on this subject tend to be locally focussed

and locally driven,but campaigners will have interests and

information needs in common. The Trust has been

developing www.woodsunderthreat.info to support

volunteers' efforts. New interactive features of the

website will enable volunteers to get the information

they need to submit objections to planning applications,

and to link up with others interested in the same issue.

On the issue of climate change, the Trust is developing

a personal pledge where supporters can sign up to

reduce their own carbon emissions and then ask the

Government to take action to do the same at a

national scale.Watch this space.

Take action

Individual action does save woods. By their nature,

campaigns are fast moving so for the very latest ways to

help, see www.woodland-trust.org.uk/campaigns/takeaction.

Take a look at Trees under threat on page 3 and the Woods

Under Threat case file on page 7.We also need campaign

letter writers (see page 15).

continued from front page IN BUSINESS

What your company

could do for us

The value of the supportthe Woodland Trust getsfrom companies is

immeasurable.

Involvement with us

also gives companies

the opportunity to

engage with key

environmental issues.

We have a team dedicated to

forging links with organisations.

Thats where you can help.One of

the best ways of making contact with an organisation is through

employees who already have links with the Trust.

If you think the company you work for might be interested in

exploring opportunities to work with us wed be delighted if you

could encourage the key decision makers to get in touch. Whether

your company is looking to improve its environmental credentials

and reduce its carbon emissions or for ways to engage its staff with

the charity sector, we can tailor make packages to cater for them.

Payroll givingNickCobbing

Partnerships get results.

Sainsbury's Woodland eggs have

raised over 60,000 for our woods.


13/16

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.

Have you got what it takes to show teachers how

to make the most of our assets?

Nature Detectives is

the junior arm of the

phenology project.

With fantasticresources available

online, it helps young

people to develop a

lifelong love of our

natural heritage. They

can use it to improve

their wildlife

identification skills,

enjoy fun learning activities and get involved in hands

on recording of seasonal events.

Most young people hear about

Nature Detectives through their

school so were looking for people

who can show teachers how to

get the most from the project.

The new volunteer role of In

school trainer will involve running

training sessions for primary or secondary

school teachers. Trainers will be asked to recruit

teachers onto the sessions, organise the events and

present the training.

A typical training session would include explaining the

Nature Detectives project, exploring the online resources

and hosting a practical outdoor session helping teachers to

become more familiar with some of the species recorded

on the scheme.

All you need is some experience of

running events and training sessions,

a little knowledge of environmentaleducation and your own PC with

internet access.

Contact the volunteers team for details.

Our future generations need you!

Teaching the teachers


Name: Jennifer Wright

Volunteer roles: phenology

recorder

Age: 58

Location: Harlow, Essex

Occupation: retired state

registered nurse

Q: How did you first get involved?A: Ive been housebound due to ill health since 1997. In

2002 I fractured my spine and while I was in hospital

my husband died. It took me two years to recover

mentally but by June 2005 I felt well enough to take

up new interests. I came across the Woodland Trust

and now go out on my electric scooter and take noteof the changing seasons.

Q:What do you get out of it?A: I enjoy it so much! I was a very busy person before I

became disabled so I was delighted to find something

I can do now.

Ive got a deeper knowledge of nature now and was

thrilled to receive the charts, books and posters.

I take my seven year old granddaughter out, me on

my electric scooter and her on her toy scooter, and

hunt for the first snowdrops or leaf buds and record

the dates.

Q:What inspires you about woodland?A: When our kids were growing up we visited a forest in

Norfolk that stretched for miles.You went in and

everyone spoke in hushed tones like in a cathedral.

Theres nothing more beautiful or imposing than a

tree in full bloom, its new leaves a luminous green.

The age that trees live to I find fascinating and

humbling. The sheer variety of landscapes in our small

country is awesome and lovely.

C L O S E U P

enaturenote

s

PHENOLOGY

PHOTOGRAPHERSSee pages 8 & 9

StevenKind


14/16


Our woodland officers manage up to 50 sites each. This involves organising budgets

and management plans, liaising with contractors, preparing risk assessments, monitoring the

sites, supporting Trust activities there, consulting with local people and dealing with any day

to day issues that arise.

All in all this adds up to a very busy job. But they are lucky to have several volunteers

assisting them in different ways and you are entitled to some support. In most cases

woodland officers should be able to meet with you at least annually and also provide you

with an up-to-date risk assessment for the site and your role. Depending on your level of

involvement it may be appropriate to meet more frequently.

Woodland officers are available via phone and email but because they are so busy they may

not be able to respond immediately. They do work from home so please respect their

privacy by not passing on their contact details to anyone unless they have said its OK.

Thanks for your patience.

When you first express an interest in volunteering we request information for our

database either through a paper form or an electronic version. This ensures we hold

accurate information about you so we can keep you informed and match you with the

most appropriate volunteer roles.

We never pass your personal details onto outside organisations.

Once we have received this form we dont normally acknowledge receipt to save time and

postage. But we do like to send an acknowledgement email to those people who register

online as they may not have had any personal contact from the Trust until this point.

About once a year, usually to tie in with a mailing of the Volunteer Newsletter, we also send

out an annual update form.This is used to keep your details up-to-date and sometimes we

ask more questions. For example, this year we asked all of our voluntary wardens how many

hours they put in at which woods. We then updated our records with the wood name and

were able to raise our estimates of the time spent volunteering by an average of 21/2 hours

a month for each warden. We can now use this information to help us fundraise.

Yes, please. We ask that you tell either your task manager or the volunteers team

direct. We can then adjust your record so you are not contacted while you are not

volunteering and, where necessary,we make sure that your time is not included in the

Volunteer Investment Value Audit (VIVA) calculations.

We understand there are times you may want to stop volunteering for a while so let us

know if this happens. Equally please let us know if you are ready to start again. That way we

can make sure you are informed of any news, events and opportunities that might arise.

Why do I

sometimes have trouble

getting a quick response

from my woodland officer?

QQ AA

What happens

to the registration and

update forms I fill out?

QQ AA

FREQUENTLY ASKED

QUESTIONS

Should I let anyone

know if I cant volunteer

for a while because Im ill,

or if I decide to stopvolunteering altogether?

QQ AA


15/16

they have of the Woodland

Trust. So the role of

receptionist is a very

important and fulfilling one.

We are looking for a pool of

people who could fill in on an

ad hoc basis at our offices in

Grantham. Full training will

be given.This role will suit

someone who enjoys meeting

people and has an excellent

telephone manner.

Phenology

researcher RosehipsPreston, Lancashire

This is a truly fascinatingrole for someone interested

in wildlife and history.

Some of our phenology

recorders have discovered

that, during World War Two

and into the 1950s, the

Ministry for Food encouraged

mainly schoolchildren to

collect rosehips to make

syrup.The Government


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

Campaignletter writer

UK-wide

Could you add weight toour campaigning by writingletters to appropriate bodies?

Our public affairs team will

be able to advise you on the

hottest topics and who the

letters should be addressed

to.Your role will be vital in

bringing concerns about

environmental destruction tothe attention of decision-

makers and policy specialists.

For more information, read

the feature article on the

front page, and visit

www.woodland-

trust.org.uk/campaigns/

takeaction

ReceptionistGrantham, Lincolnshire

For many people, anencounter with our reception

staff is the first experience

Editorialassistant The VolunteerNewsletterGrantham, Lincolnshire

If you are reading thisNewsletter were sure you

will have an appreciation of

how worthwhile it is! It

keeps volunteers in touch,

provides inspiration and

encourages new volunteers

to come on board.

We are looking for someone

who can help put together

the newsletter by carrying

out administration such as

collating the initial ideas,

chasing content, fact checking

and proofreading. If you

would like to and you have a

talent for it, there is also a

chance to get involved with

editing and writing.

The volume of work will

fluctuate but we estimate the

role will take between 1/2 and

1 day a week.

VOLUNTEER

OPPORTUNITIESIf youre looking for more ways to help the Woodland Trust and develop your talents

here are some vacancies to whet your appetite. There are lots of other ideas throughoutthe newsletter. For even more suggestions and information on how to get involved,

contact the volunteers team or visit www.woodland-trust.org.uk/getinvolved

ordered the production of the

syrup as rosehips were a vital,

cheap source of vitamin C

for the nation at a time when

little fruit was being imported.

Records of collection dates

will show us when rosehips

were ripening in the 1940s

and 50s. We can then

compare them with todays

dates. This will provide us

with important data to

inform our phenology

research (see the

introduction to page 13 tofind out more about the

phenology project).

An internet search has

revealed that two examples

of these county records are

still in existence at some

records offices.We are

looking for someone near

the Preston records office

who can go and sift through

the records to discover

these dates. We will then

collate the results and find

out what they tell us about

climate change.


16/16

NEWS & CONTACTS


...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: Peter and Rosemary

Dodd

Volunteer roles: voluntary

speakers and anything else we

are asked to do!

Location: Newcastle upon

Tyne

Occupation: retired

industrial chaplain and volunteercoordinator

Q:What have you done so far?

A: Since retiring together eight years ago,weve givenover 150 talks, help to manage our local woods,

record for phenology (see page 13), provide

photos and have adopted a school to help them

facilitate their environmental education.

Q:Why did you get involved?A: We took up the cause of trees, inspired by what

we saw in Scotland where only 1 per cent of the

ancient Caledonian forest is left. But we also saw

how much remarkable work was being done to

restore it and wanted to help make a difference.

And we love going to woods whatever the weather.

Tyneside is very urban. We need to enthuse people

about trees to meet the overwhelming needs of the

environment in the light of climate change.

Q:Why the Woodland Trust?

A: We feel that no-one else is speaking out nationallyon this subject with authority. Now the Woodland

Trusts name is mentioned consistently when

woodland issues are raised.

Q:What inspires you about woods?

A: Their beauty, variety, longevity and movementinspire awe and wonder. The changing seasons are

uplifting. Trees provide a wonderful habitat within

the cycle of their lives and beyond.

C L O S E U P

A huge thank you to this issues voluntary contributors:

Lost

and found

The credits

Paw prints, Christmas

cards, doodles, dog leads,

wildlife spied, notes to friends

These are just some of the things Pam Veales found in the box

she maintains in Tyrrels Wood in Pulham Market, Norfolk. A

visitors book is kept clean and dry inside, attached with cables

to a bench in a clearing deep in the wood.

Pams been taking delight in checking

the box for several years now and its

really appreciated by visitors who use

it for all manner of things.

People use it to say what they

love about the wood, some to

give messages to friends visiting

the spot, others to draw little

sketches or record wildlife

sightings. Children especially like it

and even dogs sign it. Its been used

as a lost property box too.

Bennet Aldous, cartoonist

Peter Bloxham,

feature writer

David Goymour,

feature writer

Ian Hammerton,

My Patch writer

Mandy Hillier, feature writer

Phil Marshall,

ancient tree page editor

George McLaughlin,

feature writer

John Northover,

feature writer

Frances Nichols,

proofreader

woodland trust - summer 2006 – volunteer newsletter edition 3

Documents