Seven volunteers turned out for the final work party of the season last Sunday on a perfectly cloudless spring day. Having no Bob James and his quad bike with us that day, Simon Jameson fired up his 1951 Land Rover to ferry tools and another quillet stone across to the wood, and very picturesque it looked as I’m sure you’ll agree.

Work involved installing the seventh new quillet stone (no. 2876), dead hedging, repairing a stretch of deer fencing in the new clearing, removing an obstacle from the public footpath, and clearing vegetation that was choking the older deer fencing we had erected in 2017. Things were generally looking good in the quillets. In the original exclosure, the young hazel appeared to be thriving. The Millennium (Pedunculate) Oak we’d planted half way up the rustic steps last year was breaking into leaf, as was the small elder bush we’d very recently transplanted close to the footpath.

Inside the new clearing, the stools of the oaks we had felled in 2023 were thrusting new shoots skywards, and everywhere there were tiny oak seedlings battling for space and light.

The coming months will be an instructive period as we watch with interest how young oaks and the ground flora establish themselves in the new clearing. Watch this space for future news.