January 2017

Bedgebury Volunteer Newsletter

Introduction by Liz Randall you who wish to volunteer on one or visitor attraction (ideas gratefully both nights – please drop me an received) and the Volunteer ‘Thank Happy New Year to you all and Wel- email if you would like further infor- you’ Barbecue on the 14th September come to all of the new volunteers mation. Bedgebury is a fabulous (put the date in your diary). If anyone who have joined us this year (11 so far place to listen to live music and we has an idea or knows someone with a this month!). pride ourselves on our visitor wel- band, choir, string quarter or even With both Bedgebury concerts now come at these events. magician that could entertain us on announced (Rick Astley and Elbow) Also planned for this year is a volun- the night please do let me know. and with tickets selling well I am teer away day in April to a nearby looking to gather names of those of

Bedgebury update by Patrick West As we enter a new year it’s worth great visitor experience, at excep- lenges we face over the coming year pausing for a moment to reflect on tional value for money, and we are is to seek new ways of attracting Inside this issue: 2016. For Bedgebury it was a great fortunate that the site is so well visitors during the week when the success with visitor numbers up on supported. The majority of visitors site is quieter and there is plenty of the previous year, which was in part still come at weekends and during space in the car park. My Admin Role 2 helped by the warmer than average school holidays so one of the chal- by Dylan Laidler weather and dry periods experienced of the month 2 over the summer into early autumn. japonica Visitor numbers rose by 18% com- Wednesday Wild Crew 2 pared to the previous year and as the and Sunday Volunteers graph shows this is not a one-off, which can be just linked to the good 3 Forest Craftsperson weather, but part of a much longer apprentices trend. There is a growing acknowl- Save the Mulanje Cedar 3 edgment that Bedgebury offers a tree from Town and Country Hous- 3 ing group Volunteering Plea for Volunteers Volunteering in Namibia 3 Are you talented contact Liz or Dylan asap. Full equip- If you enjoy meeting people and with a paintbrush? ment and training is provided for this would like to be part of our events highly prestigious task! programme please contact Liz for Thank you to the 4 more information. Wednesday labellers We are seeking one or two people to Do you enjoy meeting people? undertake a very important painting Art and birdsong work- 4 We are looking to increase our pool shops task. If you are competent with a paintbrush and can spare a couple of of staff that help out at events., such days before half term then please as childrens’ theatre and concerts. Bedgebury Volunteer Newsletter Page 2

My Admin Role featuring Dylan Laidler Dylan is part of the admin team at magnificent display of colour that Dylan is hoping to join the WWC in the Bedgebury based in the area office, revealed itself over the autumn next few months for a volunteer providing support to staff in the months and the delicious scents session so as to get to know the office, at the visitor centre and the some of the offered up for the volunteers a bit better and gain a Kent and Weald beats. Working in this senses. glimpse of the valuable work they role for almost a year now she says contribute towards maintaining and she is enjoying every minute of it. Getting out and away from the desk safeguarding the pinetum. is always a bonus for Dylan. Earlier “.. there is so Dylan can sometimes be spotted in the year she visited Abbot’s Wood Dylan can be contacted on much to take in working at the visitor centre as an and Friston Forest (part of the Weald 0300 067 4479 agency employee, she says “there is beat) to check out the BBQ areas [email protected] and learn about so much to take in and learn about that are available for hire and for Bedgebury and Bedgebury and the pinetum; from its which she processes bookings. She history and the array of visitors that says, “It’s great to get the opportuni- the pinetum” come to site, to its significance as an ty to experience the actual environ- international botanic collection”. ment that I support administratively and to get a feel for the woodlands Most recently Dylan commented on that the Forestry Commission pro- how struck she has been by the tect and foster”.

Tree of the Month - Cryptomeria japonica ‘elegans’ Japanese Cedar

It’s this time of the year when the are bluish green at first but turn a colouring, but I recommend you get broadleaf trees (and, of course, the stunning reddish brown colour in the close to the trees to really appreci- deciduous ) have lost their autumn. ate the colour and the softness of that we really appreciate the The trees grow into a somewhat the needles. shapes, colour and form of the won- interesting, irregular shape with derful conifers that make up the quite dense needle growth. Pinetum. Looking across from the Visitor This months ‘Tree of the Month’ also Centre you can see a small group of boasts a change of colour for the these trees which stand out this time winter season—the soft fine needles of year due to their spectacular of Cryptomeria japonica ‘elegans’ Wednesday Wild Crew and Sunday Volunteers

Wednesday 1st February 09:30 Wednesday 22nd February 09:30 Dylan (Wednesdays) 0300 067 4480 Churchills Wood Play Area Meet at the Walled Garden Meet at Visitor Centre Visitor centre (Sundays) 01580 879820. Wednesday 8th February 09:30 Sunday 26th February 10:00

NO WWC Marshal’s Lake Meet at Visitor Centre Sunday 12th February 10:00 If there are any changes we will Churchills Wood email or call you. Meet at the Walled Garden If you need to contact us on the day Wednesday 15th February 09:30 of volunteering for any reason Churchills Wood please call - Meet at the Walled Garden Bedgebury Volunteer Newsletter Page 3

Forest Craftsperson apprentices Volunteering in

In October 2016 Bedgebury took on two Emma is writing a blog about her life as an Namibia by Mark Clixby Forest Craftsperson apprentices. Many of apprentice here at Bedgebury, which you Bedgebury’s Recreation Manager, Mark you may have already met Emma Bacon can read on the Friends of Bedgebury Clixby, travelled to Namibia recently to join and Phil McGovern as they have been website . a volunteer group. assisting with the Wednesday Wild Crew and Sunday Working Group. He spent two weeks working for an organi- sation called EHRA (Elephant Humans Rela- As part of their training they will be un- tions Aid) helping to build a wall around an dertaking a variety of roles across the essential water pump in 35 degrees heat. site supporting the maintenance of the Pinetum, nursery activities, recreational In his second week Mark enjoyed going out facilities, the volunteers as well as the on patrol finding and monitoring elephants, Kent and Weald forest beats. sleeping under the stars and cooking wild meat on open fires.

Mark is passionate about raising the profile Save the Mulanje Cedar tree from extinction of the plight of African elephants which could be extinct if the trend for poaching Last December Bedgebury’s curator Dan local community to develop and improve for ivory continues at its current rate. Luscombe travelled to the Mulanje moun- their horticultural management processes . To read more about this adventure click tain region of . This mountain zone His time was spent sharing his knowledge here. is home to the of how to raise seedlings in a whytei Mulanje Cedar tree . nursery environment. The tree is an important source of income The seedling trees will be used to re- for local communities but is sadly being instate areas of the mountain as well as cut down at an unsustainable rate. providing an income to the local communi- The purpose of Dans’ trip was to help the ty.

Town and Country Housing Group Volunteering Day

A team of enthusiastic staff from Town and nature. The morning was perfect, the sun Country Housing Group joined the Wednes- shone, the tasks were rewarding and it day Wild Crew in November helping to gave us an opportunity to get to know our spread woodchip around the play area. colleagues, talk about work in a relaxed environment and get a little bit of exercise! Rachel Branson, Head of PR & Communica- tions at Town & Country Housing Group said We all returned to the office feeling re- energised and would like to thank your staff “Every year we hold a team away day, an at Bedgebury Pinetum for welcoming our opportunity to spend time with colleagues team and allowing us to take part in your and take a break from the office environ- volunteer morning.” ment. This year we chose to volunteer at Bedgebury, so that we could spend time in A huge "Thank You" from the Friends

Bedgebury Pinetum and Forest to the Wednesday labelling team! By Kathy Jary Art and Birdsong Park Lane Goudhurst Workshops The Wednesday labelling team have Kent TN17 2SL now given up several of their label- The Friends of Bedgebury would like ling afternoons to help the Friends to offer volunteers a 10% discount on Phone: 0300 067 4476 / 4480 manage legacy issues from the site's their up and coming workshops - 07585 402103 E-mail: [email protected] pre-2013 tree sponsorship scheme. Website: www.forestry.gov.uk/bedgebury Art Workshop For many years, the site of- Thursday 23rd March—Drawing fered members and visitors the Friday 24th March—Watercolour chance to sponsor a tree, for life, for Led by Pearl Bostock, founder mem- as little as £100-200. Many of these trees were young, experi- ber of the Bedgebury Florilegium. mental or just simply unlucky, and failures have been common. £75 per day to include all materials We have been trying to manage the consequences of this complex and a sandwich lunch legacy issue with disappointed sponsors ever since. Birdsong In 2013, the portfolio of sponsored trees (about 350 of them!) was Wednesdays 26th April, 10th May and audited by Iz and Liz, with many found to be missing or in ill-health. 24th May 2:30—4:30pm We've been working with Dan to replace failed trees ever since! As Learn how to identify birds by their issues come to light, the Friends try to honour old sponsorship behaviour and song, led by local na- arrangements by offering a replacement tree, each of which re- ture guide and bird behaviour special- quires a new label! We rarely receive any additional funds for this ist Simon Ginnaw. time-consuming work. Fortunately, every now and again, a grateful £36 per person for three sessions. sponsor will make a generous donation to thank us for the efforts we have made on their behalf. We are very grateful to them. How- Pop in to the Visitor Centre or call ever, we know that the task will never end. Part of the Pinetum's 01580 879842 to book your place. job is to test the growing of conifer from around the world, so losing trees to ill-health, "landscaping" or acts of God will inevitably continue. The new sponsorship scheme launched last year therefore offers only semi or mature specimens for more substantial donations. The Friends role is to raise funds to support the work of the Pinetum, not to add to its workload!

The labellers have also been helping us with an additional task. A What sport and while ago, a decision was made to remove the blue dedication exercise do you do in labels that you may all be familiar with; by adding the dedication to the reverse of a new black tree ID label. Blue the forest? labels are traditionally used to highlight "Champion Trees" in bo- During your time at Bedgebury, other tanic collections, so aren't appropriate for our sponsored trees. than volunteering, have you done any

sort of other activity with us? For The wonderful Wednesday labelling team have been helping Ann example walking in the forest, or and Sharon to complete both of these labelling tasks for the last cycling? couple of months. The labelling team’s tree knowledge has made If so, please complete this Forestry the job so much easier, and far more fun! They’ll be pleased to Commission short online hear we only have about 65 more to do.... for now! survey to help develop and im-

prove Bedgebury’s forest experience, Thank you labellers! and for the chance to win a mountain bike.