Today was the last volunteer morning of the year. Although the temperature was only just above freezing, but there was an excellent turnout of volunteers and committee members.

In November we started to make good progress in the area next to the main entrance of the woodland by completing coppicing of old hazel trees.

We continued this work but there’s still more to do next month. We also continued to remove shrubs on the bank as you walk from the entrance towards the upper levels. Parts of these areas are already planted with new saplings. Along the boundary with Tom Smith Close, long-standing volunteer Dave Larkin can be seen planting small saplings that will form part of a new hedge area.

As you’d expect at this time of year, there’s very little growing, although it some hazel catkins were already in flower and some small buds on elder shrubs were just starting to appear.