The sun shines down on the
first Community Woodland Network Conference
The birth of this exciting project was celebrated by over 160 of you from
Community Woodland Groups all over England at Oxstalls Campus,
Gloucestershire University in Gloucester on Friday 11 July and Saturday 12
July to share your experiences of managing and conserving local woods. The
conference was sponsored by the Department for Environment Food and Rural
Affairs (Defra) and Restore UK.
The whole 2 days were blessed with good weather, informative speakers and
excellent company and initial reports hail the event as an overall success.
The project started by the Woodland Trust to support woodland groups through
the country, has identified over 230 community woodland groups and other
woodland organisations already working in woods throughout England.
“The Trust is recognising its traditional volunteering roots at this
conference. Our founders were all volunteers, giving their time to protect
and create woodland,” said Mike Townsend, chief executive of the Woodland
Trust. “People who care enough to take action and make a difference are at
the heart of our work. We want to help bring woodland closer to people in
their own neighbourhoods.”
The Woodland Trust itself grew from small beginnings when a group of friends
got together to save a single ancient wood in Devon that was facing ruin.
Today the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity cares for over 1,100
sites, we want to help and support others in a similar position and this
network is the basis for that.
Professor Chris Baines, one of the UK’s leading environmental campaigners
and award-winning writer and broadcaster, was the guest speaker at the
conference. The conference also included presentations from The Green Light
Trust, Reforesting Scotland and the Woodland Trust, as well as workshops,
woodcraft displays and a woodland visit.
“Many woodland groups work in isolation and welcome the chance to get in
contact with other groups to share their experiences and expertise,” said
Paul Bunton, Community Woodland Network project manager. “This network isn’t
just for existing groups, but will encourage other communities who want to
get involved in managing a local wood. We can give them advice on how to get
started and put them in touch with others who have gone through a similar
process.”
People in England have less woodland to enjoy than almost any other European
country. Only eight per cent of England‘s landscape is covered by trees
compared to a European average of 30 per cent. Local people who care for
their own woods develop a greater understanding and appreciation of these
valuable green spaces in their own community.
This dedicated interactive web site to support the network was unveiled at
the conference. A great number of you have already made initial use of the
facility. Keep talking and helping each other and this network will only go
from strength to strength.
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News item - 14/07/2003
Conference speakers. |
