By December last year there had been six school visits made to the quillet, and a total of about 60 local children/ young people now understand more about Brineddin Wood and life in an oak woodland. They listened for birdsong, looked for mini-beasts, snacked on the benches and walked up and down our quillet steps.  In addition the wood has benefitted from their careful conservation work on its lower slopes, where hazel coppice stools were cut back for regrowth this spring. Here are some photos from those visits:

Apart from our presence at shows and hosting school parties at the quillet in the second half of last year, we ran a programme of work parties. We have already earmarked two dates this year and wonder if you would like a morning out in the woods doing a little hazel coppicing, oak seedling planting or other woodland management? If none of these appeals, please feel free to simply come and have a look at the quillet and see what we are doing. We plan to meet on Sundays, 31st January, and 6th March, all at 10.00 am in Chapel Lawn village hall car park. There is a small band of regulars who would love to see you there. We usually work until about 1.00 pm. If you want to take part please try to bring tools such as loppers, bow-saws or secateurs along with sturdy footwear, waterproofs, and a drink, although we now have a good supply of tools, courtesy of Shropshire Hills AONB, for volunteers to use as well. We will provide the cake and biscuits at break-time!  Please let us know you will be coming by contacting Karen on 01547 530002 or limbrick85@btinternet.com  We may have to cancel the work-party if inclement weather is forecast (you will still be welcome even if you decide to come at the last minute!).

Our work as a Community Benefit Society will continue after the Shropshire Hills AONB funded project comes to an end in March 2016.  We have already planned the date of the AGM, so please mark it in your diaries or on your calendars. It will be the evening of Thursday 26^th May and we are in the process of attracting an interesting speaker to deliberate on a topic related to our work.

Finally, here’s a poem written by children from St George’s School Clun