Branchlines, the Community Woodland Group in Great Waldingfield, held its 6th Annual General Meeting yesterday. Regular readers of the blog will know that after many frustrations, the Group is tantalisingly close to acquiring a 1.3 hectare (3.33 acres) piece of land close to the Church from Suffolk County Council. When purchased this will be laid out and planted up over a three year period as a woodland for the whole community.
After the formal part of the meeting, Grenville Clark from the Green Light Trust, which has been helping and supporting the Group, gave a presentation. Slides were shown to demonstrate what has been achieved elsewhere, and to enable people to envisage what might be possible in Great Waldingfield. Then we all walked the hundred yards or so down the road from the Church to view the virgin territory. Pictured above is Grenville, with David Taylor, Chairman of Branchlines, and others inspecting the site.
All then repaired to the Church for a spontaneous design session, where four groups had a go at thinking up a possible name for the wood, considering what features they would like to see there and, finally, having a go at making a preliminary design on a blank map of the field. (This process is to be repeated by children at
Two things rapidly became clear: firstly the possibilities are enormous and secondly, a community woodland is not really the same as what one might call a ‘natural’ wood since by its very nature it will contain features for the use of, and dictated by, the community. Many suggestions were made; bird hides, ponds, a tree top walk (eventually), viewing mounds, rides, an amphitheatre (yes!), outdoor classrooms, paths suitable for wheelchairs, willow structures etc. etc. Potential activities on the site included picnics, entertainments, lessons for schools and dog walks, not to mention the learning of rural crafts, nature study, the coppicing and harvesting of wood plus the encouragement of biodiversity with water and wood piles.
Although the site is not particularly large it represents a start for the village. There may be the possibility of buying further land at a later stage with the aim of creating a green link-way of woodland for posterity. In my opinion community action of this type, which effectively seizes back the initiative from the developers and planners, is one of the best ways to try to resist the relentless encroachment of building in rural areas
It is now possible for people in the village to get formally involved in the project by joining a membership scheme which was inaugurated at the AGM. Contact Shirley Rose on 376499 for details.
