All posts by Roger Stevenson

Green flag awarded – again!

Once again Blaen Brân Community Woodland has won the prestigious Green Flag award. It is judged against a range of criteria – how welcoming, health and safety, cleanliness and maintenance,  sustainability, conservation, community involvement and management.

Needless to say, the woodland passed with flying colours , thanks to its members, volunteers, directors  and the community who use it.

If you’re interested in becoming a member, volunteering or anything else to do with the woodland, contact us on     enquiries@blaenbran.wales

Den Day 2 – the return

We held a Den Day in June which, although successful, a lot of people said they couldn’t attend but asked could we do it again. So we will hold another Den Day on Sunday 14th August. Feel free to turn up any time between 10.00 am and 1.00 pm at the log circle and we’ll direct you to a place where you can build your den. We ask for a donation of £2 which will go to Save the Children. We’ll provide branches, sticks and leaves but feel free to gather your own. It’s a great activity for a family and proved great fun last time. Some Dads even let the children help!
Sue will be running her coffee and tea morning at the same time so refreshments will be available. So come along and join in even if you don’t have children with you

Den Day

On Sunday 19th June we’re inviting you all to build dens for Save the Children’s Den Day. We intend to start at 2.00 pm and finish at about 4.00 pm. It’s a fun way for your children to raise funds that will change children’s lives, while they learn new skills and important lessons about the world around them. They will be joining children from around the UK to unleash their imaginations and transforming Parsons Wood and the surrounding area into a collection of amazing dens. We’re asking children to bring in a £2 donation to take part. The money they raise will be sent to Save the Children so they can help make life better for children around the world who don’t have a safe place to sleep at night.

We will provide sticks  and string. All the children will need is a little guidance and some imagination in covering their dens to make them habitable.

Of course, there is nothing stopping adults participating as well – why should the children have all the fun?

Den Day will be an amazing adventure for all – and as well as having lots of fun we will be making a big difference to children in some of the world’s poorest countries.

We would really appreciate your help to raise money for this great cause and make Den Day an experience your children will always remember!

For more information you can also visit the event website at denday.org and learn more about Save the Children at savethechildren.org.UK

AGM

Our annual general meeting will be held this year on Saturday 4th June at 12.30 PM in the log circle in the woodland. We have a canopy that be put over it in case of adverse weather. We intend to hold a bracken bashing session from 10.00 am followed by the AGM. It is expected this will last no more than 45 minutes.

The documents necessary have been sent to members by email. if you are a member and haven’t received them, please email enquiries@blaenbran.wales and I will get them to you.

Footpath map

Work at Mineslope Cottages

There is work going on at Mineslope Cottages, which are halfway up the hill from the main car park. There may be heavy vehicles crossing from the entrance by the chapel so do take care, especially if you have children or dogs with you.

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History walk

The next occurrence of our ever popular history walk, exploring the evidence of coal mining in the woodland, will take place on Saturday 9th April, meeting in the car park at 10.00 am.

This walk will be repeated on Sunday 10th April for those who are unable to be there on the Saturday.

Be sure to dress appropriately, children and dogs welcome but will need to be accompanied by an appropriate adult. The walk is expected to last no more than 2 hours.

This event is open to all.

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Logs all cleared

Finally, the top area of the woodland has been cleared and the last lorry load of timber has gone through the gates. Thankfully, it was accomplished with only minor damage to the tracks and minimum disruption to the woodland. The path through along the beech avenue is strewn with brash and can be treacherous underfoot so, if you do decide to go and take a look, please do so with extreme caution.

November 5th

This is just to inform you that we will be holding our usual bonfire and barbecue this year. We like to keep this dog friendly so please no fireworks, except for sparklers. It will begin at the log circle at 7pm so we can see some of the firework displays from a great vantage point. Feel free to come along at any time but please wear appropriate clothing and footwear and a torch is advisable.

Forest School Area

As you probably know, we held a competition to find a name for our forest school area. We had some brilliant suggestions but, after a lot of deliberation, decided on the name Parsons Wood. The reason we named it this is to honour David Parsons, a man who has been part of the woodland since before its inception.

When we first came together to do something about the woodland, we were six interested locals and David Parsons, who is a professional forester and was also the agent for the previous owner. David was happy to become a director and it was he who found us an organisation which was willing to give us a grant to carry out the work we felt needed to be done, made valuable suggestions as to what was feasible and then had the contacts and know how to actually get the work done. In short, without him, the woodland would be nowhere near the healthy state it is in today.

Two incidents demonstrate the measure of the man. Initially, we were given £2000 to produce a management plan. David with all his experience was the obvious choice to do it so he provided a template which we use to this day. His fee, a fairly derisory one for the work entailed, he donated back to the woodland, despite this being his profession. Secondly, when the felling of the larch precluded its use by the enterprise, he kindly donated a large amount of timber from his own woodland for the enterprise to use as they saw fit.

So we are pleased and proud to name our forest school area Parsons Wood and hope you agree this is a good idea.