Holyford Woodland Trust Chairman’s Report 2016

This report intends to summarise key achievements this past 12 months or so, and briefly outline some future objectives of the Trust.

A few months after Jean Kreiseler resigned as Chair of the Holyford Woodland Trust at the last AGM, she sadly resigned as a Trustee. She is a significant loss to the Trust, and also to the woods in general. Her love of the woods, her knowledge of what was happening within the woods (reporting on its varied wildlife, to the occasional fallen tree), her picking up of litter and cutting back of brambles to ensure pathways were clear for all who walked them, is something we all miss. I’d like to thank her on behalf of the Trust for all she has done over the many years.

I’d also like to thank the EDDC Countryside Team for all their efforts in helping manage the woods, in partnership with the Trust. There are a number of work parties that are organised by EDDC throughout the year with volunteers, including groups from the local Axe Vale and District Conservation Society. A particular focus this summer has been starting upon the restoration of the ‘top pool’ reservoir located at the heart of the woodland local nature reserve. The project aims to improve this area of freshwater habitat and make it a central feature of the woods again. In recent decades the pond has slowly been choked by stone and silt washed down the steep valley during winter storms, which has greatly decreased the area of open water and encouraged colonisation of water loving trees such as Willow. The plan is to open up the pond to bring in more light and dredge areas to create a much larger area of open water thereby diversifying the aquatic habitat. This year saw the first phase of work completed with the removal of many of the overhanging and encroaching trees.

Our thanks to all who do so much to make the woods such an enjoyable place to visit. One of the challenges for the Trust going forward is to help source more volunteer groups and individuals to help undertake such future work, and for the trustees to potentially get more involved too. Dates for work parties this autumn include Wednesday 9th November and Wednesday 14th December.

The pool is increasingly being referred to as Lambs’ Pool in recognition of the generous offer made by Andrew and Marion Lamb to transfer ownership to EDDC to have it incorporated into the nature reserve. At EDDC Cabinet level, this acquisition proposal has broadly been accepted, and legal transfer should progress once a couple of further structural and topographical surveys have been completed.

Both EDDC Countryside Team and the Trust recognise the need to improve some of the main tracks to enable improved vehicular access, to enable work parties to carry out vital maintenance work. It is also planned to construct a stone causeway over the streams entering the reservoir. It’s likely that some of the financial reserves held by the Trust will be used for these tasks.

In this past year, the Trust has contributed to fence line repair works on the northern boundary, where the woods border agricultural pasture. The Trust is also currently sourcing quotes for cutting overhanging branches along that same fence line. The Trust will also be paying for path clearance work in the Hangings, the glade and turning circle areas this autumn.

Bluebell Day was another great success, in terms of total numbers attending the event, and also generating a healthy fundraising profit. It was particularly pleasing that with good promotion of the event, combined with a fair weather dawn, over 25 people attended the Dawn Chorus walk led by Donald Campbell. This year profits were helped enormously by using the Colyton Grammar School minibus for shuttle runs (in return for a modest donation to school funds), and Tim Dyer’s generous offer to drive the vehicle the entire day. Bluebell Day is very much for the local community and is

made a success by the community. I’d like to thank all those who were involved on the day, and in its planning, particularly Margaret and Albert Nicholson who with their friends undertook the catering task once more, and did a wonderful job.

A new map of the woods showing pathways, produced with the help of Peter Clark, was distributed and used on the day by various walkers. It’s also been incorporated on the Holyford Woods website, with users able to download it. New photographs of the woods and its wildlife have also been displayed on the website, including some fantastic images in the wildlife section, photographed by Helen Brooks, who was visiting whilst on holiday in the spring and got in touch via

In the early days around the formation of the Trust, we were fortunate to be supported by a loyal and enthusiastic group of friends who helped raise considerable funds to secure its future. In 2016 we have successfully resurrected a formal ‘Friends’ initiative (at a suggested £5 minimum annual subscription per household).

This is obviously another positive means of generating additional monies, not only to help fund the variety of essential maintenance works in the woods referenced earlier, but also to produce new Holyford Woods literature, maps and information/interpretation boards. We are working closely with the East Devon Countryside Team to coordinate efforts in every respect. A new Management (and Action) Plan covering the period 2016-2021 is in the final stages of preparation, and we’d like to share various of its contents with Friends and indeed the wider community when it has been approved by both parties.

Another potential source of income is to apply to local community grant schemes such as Tesco’s Bags of Help. We are keen to explore this route for funds in 2016/17.

Finally, I’m pleased to say that Holyford Woods is a venue for a couple of Legacy to Landscape: Linking St John’s Oak to the Future events this autumn. On Sunday 2nd October there is a DWT ‘Seed Gathering Safari’, and on Wednesday 12th October a ‘Leaf Back in Time’ walk and talk event. Hopefully both events will attract new people to experience the wonder of Holyford Woods, an oasis of calm in this busy world.

Mike Elsey

September 2016