WOODLAND NATURE RESERVE PROJECT



In January 2003 we were granted a People's Places Award. The award has been used to create a pathway suitable for wheelchair users along the length of the woodland.

We have put in place a native woodland management plan for the next five years, with the aims of achieving Local Nature Reserve status and providing an 'outdoor classroom' for young people.
MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS:
Construction of wheelchair-friendly pathway £15,807
Fencing along public footpath £ 4,837
Survey for hydraulic ram £ 450
Clearance of debris by local volunteer groups
Brush-cutting to provide 'classroom' glade. BTCV used the wood as the site for one of their brush-cutting courses, at no cost to us

In August 2004 we were awarded a second People's Places Award and that will provide the funding for:
Repairs to bridges and handrails
£1,875
Construction of pond with 300 m² liner
£ 5,800
WORK HAS NOW BEEN COMPLETED ON ALL THE BRIDGES

 

FUNDS URGENTLY REQUIRED FOR:

Reconditioning of hydraulic ram £ 7,290

THE HYDRAULIC RAM IS, IN ITSELF, AN EXCITING PROJECT.
It was installed circa 1912 to provide water for the walled garden and it would not be a difficult task to get it back into working order.  It is almost identical to the ram in the Lost Gardens of Heligan - for details of that click here

After reconditioning, its first use will be for the woodland pond. In due course, we hope to provide water again for the walled garden and header tanks are to be installed in all new buildings for 'grey water' usage (lavatory flushing, etc).

We can also supply a copy of the survey report for reconditioning. For a contact form, click here

For the technically-minded there is a description of the way the ram works - click here

and you can click on that site to see and print a diagram


The creation of the open glade has provided a delightful 'outdoor classroom' and there is a group of yew trees at the edge which gives shelter from inclement weather.
One third of the wood is wetland and that is set aside as an area of non-intervention. Wet areas have been drained in most English woods, but we wish to maintain it as an interesting, and very different, habitat. There are Marsh Marigolds in abundance.
There is ample opportunity for field study. We have erected two boxes for Tawny Owls; there is a very large badger sett nearby and these animals forage throughout the wood; there is a maternity roost for Lesser Horseshoe bats and 94 of this rare species were counted on their way out in June 2004 - that is an increase of 22 over last year's count.