As the 2002 AGM approaches we look back on another year of positive action coupled with reaping of benefits. Last Summer we enjoyed some wonderful evening events which inspired us for a very productive Winter work programme. The HCCV seems to have arrived at its equilibrium membership of about 18 with, on average, 12 to 15 attending work parties. There’s been some early members drifting away only for them to be replaced by new ones. Pretty typical for a group like ours, so no real cause for concern.

As some of you already know, the group is about to lose a stalwart working member as well as its Treasurer. Nigel Howarth and his wife, Pat, are retiring to Australia in April and I’m sure everyone who has enjoyed their company in the past will want to wish them well in their new life.

I expect most of you have, by now, benefited from the two boardwalks. I know I have since I started commuting by train to Reading each day. They’ve "mellowed" really well and I’m sure they’ve generated lots of Brownie points for the Council and HCCV. It’s interesting, but now we’ve made the first two, have you noticed how other sections of footpath seem to be just as deserving? Hmmm!

Nic Hopkinson sends us this report…..

"We have been coppicing into compartment 2 this year and at the last work party of the Winter, held on Feb 16^th , we made good inroads. Numbers were down as four of our stalwarts were otherwise occupied but this was compensated by two visitors brought along by members. The visitors both said they’d enjoyed themselves and I think they weren’t just being polite! So we had about 12 people. The highlight of the morning was trying out the new HCCV thermos flasks! A great success, so now we can have a regular coffee break! The coppicing achieved significant results with a good balance between cutting and hedging. John Robinson turned out to be the king of the dead hedge with stakes being hammered in with the frequency of a Hammer movie in the 1970’s! Consequently, there were no residual piles of cuttings, indeed we cleared some left from last time. A number of people wanted another work party this spring but lack of weekends and the early spring growth have made this impractical. However, it’s good to know there’s no drop in enthusiasm."

Other members please note: Nic sent this report in. Why don’t you try it? Don’t worry about whether it will read OK, the Editor is only too pleased at not having to write the whole thing that he’ll tidy up any lose ends.

The latest on this is that the Town Council has submitted the forms and are awaiting a formal response.

BBOWT and WDC have again teamed up to provide a programme of their excellent courses over the coming months. I have attended a number of these FREE courses over the last 12 months and can wholeheartedly recommend them. They are informative, enjoyable and very sociable days and I’m sure you would find it difficult to come home from any of them not feeling all the better for having attended.

If you are interested in attending any of the following courses then please book a place with Andy Glencross (0118 934 2016). All the courses will take place at Dinton Pastures. If you would like any more information about any of them , please contact either Andy, or Sally Oldfield (BBOWT – 0118 930 3773).

We will be learning about amphibian, pond plant and invertebrate identification, as well as some management techniques for wildlife ponds.

This course will recap and build on last year’s course for anyone interested in carrying out a wildlife survey of their local area. We will be taking a closer look at hedgerow surveying in particular.

We will be learning about meadow ecology and focusing on wildflower and grass identification.

Following on from last year’s popular course, we will be looking again at bat identification, ecology and surveying, and we will be taking a bat-detecting walk around Dinton. We hope to have some live bats available for people to examine at close quarters.

We will be learning about small mammal surveying and identification, and should hopefully be able to set up some Longworth traps to see what we can find in the local area.

One of the purposes of this Newsletter is to remind all of you that our AGM is to be held in the Embrook Hilton (Village Hall, actually) on April 16^th, starting with Wine &Cheese at 7.30pm and the meeting itself at 8.00. It is important that you attend, even if you are not presently an active member, as it is a chance to influence how the HCCV will continue, eg., we need members’ views on what they think we are and are not doing. Do we want more Work Parties per "season"? And we need to agree the Work Party dates for next Winter.

While we don’t have an "executive", a few of us do get together from time to time to see to the inevitable administrative matters. We are losing our Treasurer, so someone will have to take on that role. I’m sure Nigel would be the first to say it’s not too demanding, so don’t be afraid to offer your services. I also intend to stand down as Editor. I feel that a new Editor will put a different "slant" on the reports and stop the Newsletter becoming "the same old thing again".

I’m sure the whole Group, through this Newsletter, would also like to extend a warm invitation to the three people who, from the beginning, have been unstinting in their support of the HCCV. I mean, of course, Sally Oldfield of BBOWT, Andy Glencross of WDC Countryside Service, and Colin Hook at Wokingham Town Council.

Have you heard the Chiff-Chaff singing by the junction of Holt Lane and Reading Road?

Jack Meatcher 24^th March, 2002.

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