Dear Volunteers..… Issue 6, August 2009 We have been promised a fine, warm summer – so why have we had monsoon conditions this week? Hopefully, the promise of a long spell of warm weather and the media confidently reporting that Britons are taking their holidays at home this year will boost our visitor numbers. I hope you enjoy this edition of the newsletter and if anyone has any ideas for content or a catchy new name please let me know! ––– Tracy NEWS AND WHAT’S ON? Exhibition of Pastel Paintings by Juliet Murray – this OTHER EVENTS exhibition of new works by the very popular Nutley-based CONSERVATION GROUP artist was opened to the public on Friday 31 st July. Last Sunday of the month (except August). East Sussex Libraries Children’s Summer Reading Challenge – Meet at the Centre car-park at th was held at the Centre on 6 August. The topic this year was 10.15. ‘the quest’. There were activities for the children, storytelling and a treasure hunt! STITCH ‘N’ BITCH Our monthly needlecraft group st th Explore Ashdown Forest 1 to 16 August 2009 – two weeks still meets on the 1 st Tuesday of of events in and around the Forest organised by the Ashdown the month from 19.00! Forest Tourism Association. For more information pick up a Meet at the Forest Centre. leaflet from the Information Barn or visit www.ashdownforest.com BUSHCRAFT AND NEOLITHIC SKILLS Lex the Roman – had a successful day on 29 th July (113 A day of survival skills, wild visitors to the Barn) and he is coming back to lead a further cookery, flint knapping and fire session on life in Roman Britain on Wednesday 19 th August – making – lean about how our from 14.00 to 17.00! ancestors lived - dates tba in early September 2009. Maiden of the Weald - Same Sky artists in residence will be building a Maiden of the Weald for Ashdown Forest at the For up to date information on Forest Centre between Wednesday 12 th and Sunday 16 th what’s going on visit our website August. (This is an HLF project event.) Volunteers are or opening the Barn early this week and we hope it is an subscribe to the e-mail news interesting and exciting event! Visit www.samesky.co.uk for service on more information. www.ashdownforest.org/news An Exhibition By Bill Glenister - Paintings by a Sussex artist with a national and international reputation opening on 11 September 2009. For more information on the artist visit www.williamdewilde.org TALES FROM THE TILL The Till - Nothing much to report on this front – just a reminder that, if you make a mistake or are unable to void items or cancel transactions please leave a brief note in the till explaining what went wrong. It makes it much easier at the end of the week to cash up the till correctly. Stock - Please let me know if you notice stock is running low so that I can place orders quickly – a note in the diary is all that is needed. New Team Members - A very, very warm welcome to our band of new volunteers – in no particular order: Ian Plumer, Pam Wilson, Veronica Withall, Martin Berry, Hillary Randall, Margaret Carruthers, Michael Wheeler, Lisa Joice, Jo Edwarde, Angela Philip and Richard Lowe – I hope you all enjoy working with us! Record keeping - Please make sure you let me have a copy of your completed training sheet for our records and that you get, and wear, your Information Volunteer badges! Forest Centre Events 2010 – Now we have a bigger band of volunteers it would be great to plan ahead and organise some events for next year. Perhaps during the school holidays we could have some bird watching sessions / short walks / story telling / crafts / face painting / create a nature table etc etc. If you have any suggestions or would like to do something specific let me know – perhaps we could have a planning session in January? Advertising – How can we let more people know that we exist and that we have events taking place through the year – is anyone able to help out with mail shots, posters, adverts etc? Any ideas on how we can do things better? Ranger Volunteers Get Together – Seven members of the team came along for cake and a briefing session. Hew talked about the plans for the Forest Centre. The session was a very useful chance to find out about what was going on and meet with fellow Rangers. Rich has pencilled in the next get-together for Monday 21 st September and thinks an evening meeting, so that those who work during the day can come along too, would be a good idea. He suggests meeting at the Red Lion, Chelwood Gate on Monday 21 st September! Notes from the last meeting will be sent out very soon – honest! Summer BBQ – We had a bumper response to our invitation to the BBQ. Helped, no doubt, by the fact that we could, for once actually guarantee really great weather! A big thank you to Ros and her able kitchen assistants Anne Smith and Janet Wirdnam, our super chefs Chris Sutton and Mike Payne and our barman Rich Allum! Shearing Day May 29 th saw excellent weather and over 100 visitors (despite the council closing the road for resurfacing works!). A very busy and successful shearing day. Thank you to Louise, Ruth and Cathy! Why not visit the blog at www.ashdownforest.org/blog.php On the South Chase – Roger Beal On the West Chase – Rich Allum This year, we shall be bracken mowing, repairing Scallywag and I have been as busy as ever on the rides and constructing barriers. The overhanging West Chase (!). We have resurfaced Long car park branches on the ride sides will be removed and car to get rid of all the pot-holes. We spent a couple of parks mowed and sight lines strimmed. Hopefully in weeks repairing and draining the rides, particularly November we shall be starting clearance in the around Long car park and the Old Airstrip as well as vicinity of the Airman’s Grave. Later this month I the bridleway that runs from Beaconsfield Road to am going on a Dormice handling course, so that I can the ‘Folly Bridge’ where the bridleway fords the obtain a licence to monitor and weigh these Millbrook. We have built a smart new culvert bridge delightful creatures. I shall continue to deal with in the northern section of the Vachery where the all byelaw breakers. We had a bit of a success old one had collapsed. Colin (our tractor driver) is recently where one resident had acquired a chunk of continuing the bracken mowing across the West Forest by putting a deer fence around it and in so Chase. We have incorporated many new areas doing added to his garden. He has now removed the during the last couple of summers and been able to fence but a purpose built compost heap and a relax the mowing regime in other areas where it is garden seat remain. The resident thought it was an having the desired effect. Contractors will be unused bit of Forest so he didn't think it mattered; spraying bracken in Millbrook East and Churlwood in WRONG. Myself, ‘Ranger Dog’ Fleur, and ‘Ranger early August, and spraying Gaultheria shallon and Wife’ Louise had two fantastic weeks in North Rhododendron ponticum in Chelwood Vachery, Wales, where we looked at, among other things, Braberry Hatch and Chelwood Common. Butterfly self-closing gates on the Mawddach Trail, deer transects are a great excuse for a nice walk on the mirrors in the Coed y Brenin Forest and bridge, seat Forest. This summer has been a better one for and CP construction at Beddgelert. I am continuing butterflies with record numbers of Painted Ladies to run down to retirement, with only 18 months to and lots of Ringlets. There’s been a smattering of go. When it was several years away I couldn't wait, Silver-studded Blues as well. but now I am not so sure. On the North Chase – Mike Yates On the East Chase – Chris Sutton On-going maintenance to the North Chase includes a Work on the East Chase this summer has involved a make over to Warren car park thanks to Chris, Rich lot of bracken mowing on Bunkers Hill. This follows and Michael (estate team) on the vibrating roller! the clearance undertaken last autumn and hopefully Ride repairs have been made at Tabell Ghyll and a we will soon see an increase in the amount of new causeway built at Shepherds Gate. Four heather, which has declined rapidly in that area. A sleeper bridges have been replaced by culverts at major sewage leak was discovered below the Horder Shepherds Gate (courtesy of Sutton’s Ground Centre in June which came from their 50+ year old Works!) This year’s Higher Level Stewardship work system which was thankfully dealt with very quickly will include trees on the Ridge Road, between by their maintenance team under my watchful eye! Lintons and Broadstone, being cut to improve the Ride maintenance has been carried out in the Crows wonderful view from the road across Broadstone Nest area and to some bad erosion scarring heath. Sussex Probation Services have been working adjacent to Kidds Hill. Lots of water comes off hard on the Forest since January and they will be Kidds Hill in the major rains we now seem to get. cutting logs and kindling which we (sorry you!) will Water either goes straight down the road or onto be selling by the bag in the Information Barn this the Forest as it really should but this has meant Autumn.