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Latest News ItemsHCCV Newsletters
Board WalkOctober 13th saw a number of us out in
the balmy weather to get the much delayed construction of
the board walk under way. You may recall we had to delay
it from August due the spate of axe vandalism in the
copse. There seems to have been no further occurrence so
hopefully it was a one off and no one is going to carve
up our efforts. Nine of us turned up around opening time.
We were much depleted both before and during the day with
several people affected by both there own or others
sickness and strains so we were less than we really
needed. The initial efforts to dig the post holes proved
very difficult and time consuming, not to mention back
straining, and by late morning we doubted that we could
get it done in the day. However by then our knight in
shining armour, or at least a man with the right tools
and experience, had arrived. Giles has built many such
walkways with WDC and had the correct tool for digging
holes - a pair of hinged long handled narrow spades. Nic
had seen one when collecting tools from DP but had
ignored it. What ignorance! With this extra resource we
were encouraged to new efforts and managed to finish the
basic construction so that it was in a safe state by late
afternoon. Thanks to John and Martin and another couple
who were able to return on the Sunday morning to finish
off the rail and preservative. We were all fairly
knackered by the end but the general consensus was of an
enjoyable and fulfilling day which seems to have met with
approval from all sides. Can we do another? Do we want to? Well now!! By some judicious over-ordering i.e. the construction turned out to be slightly smaller than the initial survey and calculations predicted (or as Val would say, Nic got his maths wrong again) we have enough left over for another 3 metres - which may be just enough to do the ditch at the top of the hill which also gets very muddy in winter. How about the 29th December when we are proposing a work party for people to work off the Christmas pud? Dorothy Morley Memorial Parish Conservation Award
Earlier this year, the Holt Copse Conservation Volunteers entered the Dorothy Morley Memorial Parish Conservation Award competition. The award recognises and promotes conservation as a key element for a sustainable future, bringing together the environment and local groups. The award was organised and co-ordinated by the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) and Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT). The competition judges made site visits early in July and later that month we heard that we had won the First Prize of £750!!!! Dorothy Morley was for many years a strong campaigner on rural issues, serving as the chairman of Newbury and Hungertord District Council for the Protection of Rural England and on the West Berkshire committee of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. The award was made possible through the donations of Dorothy's friends as a tribute to her memory. The award ceremony took place on the 7th October in the Parish Rooms of St. Paul's Church, Wokingham. It was, without a doubt, a great success and enjoyed by everyone there. The venue contributed a lot in creating the right sort of atmosphere with a conservation award winning churchyard in view through the windows. Having met at the hall, a number of the visitors took up the option of a conducted tour of the Copse to see what we had done and what the Copse was like. Despite the pouring rain, they didn't seem to be in a hurry to get back and showed great interest in the Copse itself. The formal proceedings began with an introduction and description of the background to the award. Charles Morley, Dorothy's husband, told us about Dorothy and how a group of friends had collected a sum of money sufficient to finance the competition. Sally Oldfield of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust then gave a description of each project, in turn, after which the Group concerned received their award. HCCV received not only the £750 first prize but also got a magnificent commemorative scroll. The Group intends to spend the award on purchasing their own tools and extra training. The Goring & Streatley Environment Group and Evergreen 2000 from Burnham each received a £350 runners up award. Swallowfield Meadow Group also received a highly commended certificate and £50. Bats in the CopseThe Holt Copse Conservation Volunteers had a Bat Walk in Holt Copse last Saturday evening (9th September). Tony Vetta of the Reading Bat Group came along to give a talk on European bats and brought an electronic bat detector to demonstrate its use. Tony was ably supported by BBOWT's Sally Oldfield, who brought along three other detectors for members to try. Twelve members of the HCCV attended and were given an excellent introductory talk on the types of bats to be seen in the UK. This was followed by a walk around the Copse using the detectors. Tony was able to show us a Noctule bat roost as evidenced by the urine and faeces trickling down the trunk of the tree. He described how a woodpecker's nest hole is changed in shape and size by a symbiotic fungus in the tree trunk to create a chamber suitable for the bats. This was a fascinating and informative evening about an often much maligned mammal which sets out to eat up to 3000 midges, gnats and mosquitos a night. So, when they are flying round your head, remember, they are on your side! Jack Meatcher Winter Bird Survey 2000The findings of the HCCV winter bird survey can be found here. |
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Holt Copse Conservation Volunteers |
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