Raven About the Woods
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WHERE:
Ravensroost Woods, Nr Minety, Swindon
WHEN:
October 2007
VOLUNTEER COUNT:
18
the project
Down in the woods … come and make your own witches broomstick
The glint of axe and saw, the thud of metal on wood - away from sight in the depths of Ravensroost Woods, young people made witches broomsticks in readiness for Halloween.
But it wasn’t so they could join a coven. It was to mark the launch of a Wiltshire Wildlife Trust project, Fringe Elements, which aims to get young people in Swindon aged 16-25 to take a more active interest in the urban fringe – the natural world they can most easily get access to.
Ravensroost is a Wiltshire Wildlife Trust reserve, and has the largest area of semi-natural woodland in the Braydon Forest, as well as wildflower-rich hay meadows and fields which are being restored to benefit wildlife. Ponds in the wood are home to the rare great crested newts.
The wood is managed by coppicing, which takes place between October and March, when hazel and other broad-leaved trees are cut back to a stump from which they re-grow whippy green shoots, called rods. These can be harvested and used to weave into hurdles and garden furniture.
the result
In these two GreenPrints funded events, young people leant how to coppice trees and turn the harvested wood into witches broomsticks ready for their night of ghouls and ghosts.
The events, took place during the Trust’s Wild Week (Oct 22nd to 28th), offering an introduction to conservation activities and the chance to learn new leadership and teamwork skills.
Sally Whitehead, the new Youth Participation Officer in Swindon said; “There is a serious side to all this; not enough young people are engaged with the natural world. They are taught about being active through the Healthy Schools initiative, but with this project we are offering them the chance to extend their activity into their personal lives, and to make it a habit beyond school years.”
