Hello can I introduce myself, I am Charlie and I've taken over running the blog site on behalf of our woodland community. It would be great if we can get more two-way conversation going with those of you interested in Sims Hill.

We had a committee meeting on 7 November where we met with the University of the West of England’s representative Charlotte Young. Charlotte is the Project Co-ordinator for GreenSpace which provides volunteering opportunities for students. She has also taken over the volunteering maintenance at Splatts Abbey wood in Filton. Charlotte has agreed to enlist more UWE volunteers to help us with work at Sims Hill as well as taking a look at our management plan in order to schedule the work for the year.

So where are we since we last spoke ? Well the management plan has been approved by the Forestry Commission, and will be reviewed on a regular basis to incorporate any new ideas as we go along...

We have also marked the future road line. It is likely that we will do this and do some thinning work in February or March but definitely before the birds start nesting.

Although we have carried out some general work to clear pathways, remove brambles and generally having a good old tidy up, we will need a licence from the council to do any further work included in the management plan. However we hope to be able to announce a date for another work party soon to carry on this good work. We’ll keep you posted.

Ain't no party like a working party

Goodbye kissing gate, hello better access:
Mark and Chris doing the necessary

Last week's working party (held on Friday, 7 March) was a great success. Blessed with a beautiful spring afternoon, around 13 of us went down to the woodland with one mission in mind: to remove some internal fencing and get those kissing gates out!

We had only 90 minutes to do a fair bit of work and, at the start, it seemed like we'd bitten off more than we could chew. But we needn't have worried. After a quick health and safety briefing delivered by committee member Steve Fowkes, we rolled up our sleeves and got stuck in. 

We concentrated our efforts in the middle of the woodland and by the end of the session had successfully removed one of the troublesome kissing gates, most of the fencing on either side of it and a rotten old tree that was blocking the path. That part of the woodland is now much more open and easier to access. Result! 
 
Another kissing gate and a fair bit of fencing still needs to go, but we're definitely getting there. And now that the weather's looking up, we'll have plenty of opportunities to head back out there and make more improvements.

Watch this space to see how we get on, and to find out how the management plan is progressing.

Busy bees get to it: Nina clears the brambles
while rest of the team have a go at the fence

Baby on board: there's no stopping
Nikki, even with an imminent due date!

Reach for the stars: Andy gets to grips
with creepers

Fancy footwear: Ilze makes a bramble heap

No heavy petting please

No heavy petting! We hope this underused
kissing gate will soon be a thing of the past.

Another successful committee meeting took place last week; we're getting much closer to an agreed management plan, which should be signed off in a matter of weeks.

We're also planning a working party for the beginning of March, which will see the old and failing internal fencing (which may have been put up when the land was used for agriculture and is therefore no longer needed) removed. There are also a couple of 'kissing' gates which inhibit access and go against what we're trying to do with the woodland; we hope to get rid of these too.

This is a great opportunity for members to get some fresh air in their lungs and dirt on their hands - at last!