A dreadful pun, but just a way of pointing out that the two fenced exclosures/glades in our woodland quillets need to be constantly monitored for damage in order to keep out the ever-present deer. In this instance, Bob James is removing a fallen branch that had created a deer-sized gap in the fence. If the deer had managed to get in, the vegetation you can see to the right of the picture would soon have disappeared and the floor of the woodland would look like the centre and right of the picture.

As well as checking for and repairing damage, there are many other tasks that our volunteer workforce carries out including clearing paths, creating deadhedges for wildlife and clearing obtrusive undergrowth, all fuelled by coffee and cake at half-time. Work parties are generally on Sunday mornings and last for about three hours – meet at 10.00 am in Chapel Lawn Car Park, SY7 0BW. We’d love to see new faces, but it’s best to let Mark Limbrick know if you intend to come along as he contacts people in the event of bad weather necessitating cancellation. His email address is redlakevalley@gmail.com

The next scheduled dates are 28th December, 25th January, 22nd February, 22nd March, 26th April.