Just to make a change from raising funds for our own nature recovery activities, the board of directors of the Redlake Valley Community Benefit Society are happy to publicise a major fund-raising campaign by the Middle Marches Community Land Trust. Briefly, they hope to purchase two flower-rich meadows near Minsterley in Shropshire which support, amongst many other species, the largest colony of green-winged orchids in the county. This has led to their designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by the government’s nature conservation body, Natural England. We encourage you to feel generous. Here’s a link to the fund-raising webpage.
When we entered the 21st century, a great many places planted millennium oaks to mark the occasion – but not here in the Redlake Valley. Better late than never, though. When Janet Hartin and her husband, Nigel, moved into their house in Bucknell in the year 2000, Janet planted an acorn that she’d found nearby. 24 years later although constrained by its container, it had become too large for her back garden so she generously donated it to the Redlake Valley. Community Benefit Society.
It has now been planted in Brinnedin Wood a little way to the left of half way up the flight of rustic steps in the society’s quillets. It’s a lovely little tree so, with a ring of fencing to protect it from deer, hopefully it will settle in well and grow to maturity. Thanks to Bob James for the use of his tractor and Simon Jameson for his sledge-hammer power.
It’s a while since we’ve issued an update on our activities – for the very good reason that we have been extremely busy. You’ll recall that In June 2023 we were granted a ten-year felling licence by the Forestry Commission to begin the process of rotational coppicing, our aim being to revitalise the biodiversity of the Society’s portion of a long-neglected wood. Conscious of the potential visual impact of such work, and not being entirely sure how quickly coppiced trees would regenerate or ground flora appear, we proceeded with caution by bringing in a contractor to create a small clearing by removing about eighty densely packed trees. Hearts in mouths, we watched 100-year-old trunks being hauled down the steep hillside and then along the footpath to where a supportive landowner had let us install a gate that gave access across his fields to the road.
Once the felling was completed and trunks removed, volunteer work parties created a deer exclosure around the felled area. The felling and fencing were substantially funded by Shropshire Hills National Landscape’s (the new name for Shropshire Hills AONB) Farming in Protected Landscape (FiPL) fund. There is still work to do repairing pathways and clearing brash and branches left over from the felling, some of which will be used for dead hedging to provide shelter for wildlife, but now the interesting part begins while we wait and watch. If all goes the way we think it will, shoots will appear from coppiced oak stools (trunks), seedling oaks which would previously have been shaded out or eaten by deer will survive the summer months, and a layer of ground flora that was largely absent beforehand will begin to establish itself. Although a condition of the felling licence is to create a slightly greater variety of tree species as a safeguard against disease and climate change, we will delay decisions on exactly which species to introduce and where until we know where there are gaps from natural regeneration. We will also delay any decision on any further clearing until we know how quickly the young trees are growing.
On Saturday 18th November, fifty eager diners and six competitive cooks turned out for ‘The Taming of the Stew’, an evening of wine, fine food and high tension. All were eager to know who would be chosen as the winning casserole maker using venison from a wild one-year-old red deer hind specially selected for the occasion. Miles Lawton, who works with landowners in the Redlake Valley to keep the burgeoning deer population under control, was tasked with the difficult job of deciding which of the six casseroles was the best. After polishing off generous helpings of casserole, baked potatoes and peas, and consuming eleven delicious puddings (Chapel Lawn is well known for its puddings), the guests hung onto every word of Miles’ illustrated talk on the many aspects of deer management, explaining how it protects crops and woodlands and keeps the deer herds healthy. Finally, the winner was announced. Miles’ job was all the more difficult because the six recipes were not only delicious, but startlingly varied. In the end, Janet Tudor from Pentre near Chapel Lawn won with her Italian Agrodulce recipe.
The five runners-up were Simon James from New Invention, Alison Gunning-Stevenson cand Karen Sharpe from Bucknell, Ryan Davies from Heyope, and James Middleton from Chapel Lawn. Janet’s prize was a bottle of St Emilion Grand Crut, while the five runners up were presented with boxes of Belgian Chocolates, giving the very local occasion a slightly European flavour. All competitors received certificates. RVCBS chairman, Mark Limbrick, thanked Miles and the helpers who had made the evening possible and explained that the money raised from the evening would help fund deer fencing around a recently felled area in the Society’s Brineddin Wood quillets. By protecting the area and encouraging growth of young trees, it is anticipated that the biodiversity of the wood will be boosted. Mark also encouraged guests to come along to the monthly woodland work parties, the next one being on Sunday 26th November – meet in Chapel Lawn Village Hall car park at 10.00 am.
The evening raised just over £300. The six casserole recipes can be found here.
Six volunteers generated 18 hours of work getting to grips with the first of the recent felling contractor’s debris piles. We also constructed a log storage platform near to the new access gate to accommodate sawn logs destined for firewood, with the remaining brash used to construct a linear dead hedge down the slope. The debris pile has almost disappeared.
We have two events coming up in the near future. On Saturday 21st of this month we still have some slots left for apple-pressing. Bring your apples and wine bottles and leave with delicious pasteurised apple-juice that will last for at least a year.
Then, on Saturday 18th November, we are inviting you to dine out on locally-sourced venison when brave people will be competing for first prize in a venison casserole competition. That will be followed by a talk on deer control by a deer stalker who is working with local landowners to protect their crops and woodlands from deer predation.
See the posters below for full details and how to book.
As we embark upon a new phase of engagement for the Society, one that involves a more hands-on approach to enhancing the biodiversity of Brineddin Wood, we are seeking the addition of up to two additional members to our board of directors. Ideally, prospective directors should possess a genuine passion for wildlife, which does not necessarily require expertise, although individuals with direct knowledge of woodland management or ecology will be most welcome. It is important to note that this shift in focus towards practical environmental stewardship does not signify a departure from our other core mission, which remains the promotion of community cohesion and participation through our various activities. Furthermore, we remain open to innovative ideas aimed at benefiting the local community, even though our past endeavours have predominantly revolved around woodland-related projects.
There are three avenues through which one can assume the role of a director. The first involves the nomination of an existing shareholder by two other shareholders. The second entails an individual acquiring a minimum shareholding of £100 and subsequently receiving a nomination from two existing shareholders. The third empowers the board to co-opt individuals with specific expertise relevant to our activity. As our AGM on 5th October is imminent, we are initially exploring the first of these options, but if that does not result in new nominations, we may search more widely using the other two options. We have not engaged an external speaker for this year’s AGM. Instead we will be discussing the creation of the first coupe we have created in the wood and where we go next. This could be an opportunity for anyone interested in putting their name forward to learn more about our plans before making a commitment. In the meantime, the Society’s rules can be found on the website here (see item 6), and our latest news immediately below this article.
The rewards of joining our board include the fulfilment of contributing to the revitalization of a neglected woodland area, increased involvement in our community, and the opportunity to forge new relationships and friendships. For younger individuals, who are particularly encouraged to participate, there is the added benefit of gaining insight into organizational governance. It is worth noting that we believe we operate effective governance without undue formality.
Our board meets approximately six times a year, and while there is no obligation to participate in practical work parties or other activities, we hope that any new director will express an interest in doing so. Our current meetings usually take place in the afternoon, but we are flexible and can adjust the schedule to accommodate new directors with daytime commitments.
Currently, we aim to expand our board from 6 to 8 directors. If we receive more applications than the available two positions, we may seek input from our shareholders to make a final decision.
If this opportunity appeals, please contact our chairman, Mark Limbrick by email at redlakevalley@gmail.com or by phone on 01547 530002. If you are curious but uncertain about committing, we are open to the possibility of allowing you to attend one of our board meetings as an observer to gain insight into our work processes.
Well, that’s been our intention, so now we’ve started. After a long lead-in time involving much thought, taking advice from woodland experts, community consultation, fund-raising and selection of a suitable contractor, work has begun on felling our first coupe of Brineddin oaks. Alex Thackeray of Hayton Tree Services arrived last Monday and set to work by creating an earth ramp and gateway into the wood (by very generous permission of James Middleton, the neighbouring land-owner). On Tuesday he had cleared a route from the wood margin to the area chosen for felling and on Wednesday the first trees came down. Thursday was wet, and his digger needed repairs anyway, but by the end of the day on Friday maybe a quarter of the area had been cleared. Weather permitting, another two weeks should see the job done and the clearing up completed. Alex will leave four fairly mature oaks in the cleared area which we hope will withstand the gales and contribute to the multi-generational profile that we anticipate. The trees extracted are being divided into good quality trunks destined for fencing or construction, and poor quality for firewood. Then, throughout the autumn and winter, it’s down to volunteer task force members to clear away brash and surround the area with deer fencing. Please come and help if you can.
As it’s a very good year for acorns, we hope that next spring will see large numbers of oak seedlings appearing as well as the stools from the felled trees resprouting. Depending on the density of new seedlings and resprouting stools, we may or may not need to plant any new stock of Sessile Oak, but our felling licence requires us to create a mix of local oak and a few other native broadleaf species at a density of 400 stems per hectare in a ratio of 80:20, which eventually means 64 Sessile Oaks and 16 trees of other species in this first coupe after any thinning that’s required. We also want to encourage a healthy shrub layer to compensate for the deer predation that has virtually stripped out the hazel. A fascinating next few years will follow when we will monitor how the extra light entering the wood will encourage a richer ground flora and the invertebrate and vertebrate species that inevitably follow.
We will, of course, keep you well informed of progress, but there is an action plan on this page of our website that we keep up to date.
Redlake Valley Community Benefit Society 