At the time of writing this we are hopefully on the cusp of spring, but there is still a wintry chill hanging in the air. February is a busy month for the Friends of Woodlands and Coachwood Green as we get ready for the warmer days ahead.
With the tree planting season coming to an end we completed the UK Government Trees for Climate project on Coachwood Green and with National Nest Box Week on the 14th February, it was also a perfect time to put up our bird boxes which had been very kindly made for us by the local charity, Men in Sheds.
We are very excited to be entering the warmer months with our new Wildlife Discovery Area completed and open to the public. The wetlands, trees, native hedgerows and wildflower meadow have been created to attract a range of wildlife from birds, amphibians, and pollinators including bees and butterflies.
We would like to thank our funders, Nottinghamshire County Council Local Communities Fund, National Grid Community Matters Fund and the Rural England Prosperity Fund for enabling us to create this space for everyone to discover and learn about the habitats, species and birds located at the heart of the Woodlands and Coachwood Green.
Spring is a time when everything is growing and bursting into life, plants and flowers begin to grow, trees begin to bud, and the sun begins to get stronger. Birds are singing, leaves are unfolding, butterflies are starting to be seen and mammals are beginning to wake from their winter sleep. It can feel like a breath of fresh air after being cooped up indoors for the last few months. The Wildlife Discovery Area is the ideal spot to get out and enjoy it and share your wildlife sightings.
The site is available to local schools and community groups who would like to use it for forest days or outdoor nature-based learning as well as for individuals to sit and observe and we will host community events for everyone to get involved in learning about nature and wildlife on our doorstep.
On February 10th we held a community tree planting day on Coachwood Green, this site was chosen by Nottinghamshire County Council as part of the Trees for Climate programme led by England’s Community Forests and Greenwood Community Forest.
This new area of Woodland on Coachwood Green will become an open green space for the community with a heritage orchard at the entrance.
Around 100 Volunteers of all ages came out to plant 550 trees including Oak, Rowan, Field Maple, Birch Holly, Hazel, Wild Cherry, Plus 10 Fruit trees (Apple, Pear, Plum, Damson and Cherry) to create a community orchard. This was an amazing day, the weather was kind to us and many new friendships were formed. Many thanks to everyone who volunteered their time in organising the day and planting a tree or two.
At the time of writing the school planting days had not taken place, as both St Lukes in Shireoaks and Haggonfields in Rhodesia took part in the tree planting.
The new paths have been put in and the site will be maintained by Nottinghamshire County Council and remain fenced off until the trees have established, in a couple of years time this will be a great new additional green space for the local community.
For those who are new to the village and may not know who we are or how you can get involved.
We are a group of volunteers, formed in November 2011, who support Nottinghamshire County Council in managing the Woodlands and Coachwood Green as a local green space, the former Shireoaks Colliery site. Anyone is welcome to join the Friends group and there are a variety of ways in which you can get involved.
Many members of the Friends group often attend our regular monthly work days on the site. If you'd like to get involved in helping, then we would love to hear from you – everyone is welcome.
You can be a Litterhero, on the 23rd and 24th March we will be taking part in the Great British Spring Clean supported by Bassetlaw District Council. You can help make an immediate and visible difference to our local community and protect the local wildlife from harm as they can easily get caught up or injured by litter.
We shall share more details about this soon #Litterheroes2024
Email: Infowoodlandsandandcoachwoodgreen@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook @friendsofwoodlandsandcoachwoodgreen