Newsletter
February 2025
Welcome to the first newsletter of 2025!
Happy New Year! We are thrilled to welcome you to the first edition of our 2025 newsletter. The charity has made a fantastic start to the year, and we're excited to share the highlights and upcoming events with you.
In this issue, you'll read about the vital woodland maintenance carried out in early January by our brilliant volunteers. We're also excited to introduce our photo calendar competition – a perfect opportunity for you to showcase your talent and help support our cause.
We're always looking for dedicated individuals to join our friendly team, so whether you have skills in administration, fundraising, marketing or communications or would prefer to come to the woodland to help please look at our website for details. Finally, mark your calendars for our next Barn Dance happening on 1st March – it's going to be a night to remember!
Bluebell season is just around the corner
Buckenham Wood is a treasure trove of natural beauty and as you know we have enchanting bluebells here usually in late April to early May - although they are starting to appear now as young shoots.
Facts about bluebells
Bluebells take around five to seven years to flower from seed
Bluebells are protected species making it illegal to intentionally pick, uproot, or destroy them.
Bluebells are sensitive to being trodden on. If damaged, the leaves can't create and store food in the bulbs, resulting in less flowers the following year.
What can visitors do to help our bluebells?
The main thing we can do to protect bluebells is to avoid walking on them, so please do keep to the existing paths through the wood – thank you!
Recent work carried out in Buckenham Wood
BAWT would like to say a big thank you to the volunteers who braved the cold on 12th January to assist with some woodland management work. Activities included creating a ‘dead hedge’ from fallen tree branches, brash and other materials to help make the pit edge safer. The group also made safe an open well by filling it with stone gathered from the pit. We greatly appreciate your time and energy in helping to complete this important work before the emergence of the bluebells which are particularly sensitive to disturbance. To find out more about what the team did visit our past events page.
If you are interested in finding out about our next wood maintenance volunteering day or would like to explore the other ways you can help, please see the 'support us' page of our website.
Volunteer help needed in Buckenham Wood
If reading about what the team achieved in January has sparked your interest, then you will be pleased to hear there is another opportunity for you to get involved. We are looking for more brilliant and enthusiastic volunteers to help us with some light work in Buckenham Wood.
Dates: February 23rd, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Where: Meet at the woodland main gate located on Wood Lane.
More details will be released nearer the date - keep an eye on our events page.
If you are available and keen to join us please let us know emailing Lynn at info@buckenhamancientwoodland.org
BAWT Barn Dance, 2025
Banish those winter blues with a rousing night of music and dance. Join us and Yare Folk for a toe tapping night of fun!
Last year's Barn Dance was a resounding success and together we raised over £1000 for BAWT! It was great to see everyone up on their feet and having a brilliant time (click here to view photos and videos (BAWT Barn Dance 2024).
We want to make 2025’s Barn Dance just as much fun! Buy your tickets now to avoid disappointment as last year we sold out in advance!
Date: 1st March Lingwood Village Hall
Time: Doors open at 7:00pm, Dancing starts at 7:30pm
On the night: Bar, Raffle, Wheaton Pizzas
To take part in fund-raising games, please bring cash!
Tickets: £10 in advance, £7.50 concessions, can be purchased in cash at Lingwood Village Hall Bar or online here: Click Here
£12 cash on the door. Booking advised.
To find out more follow the link to our events page here: Click Here
BAWT Calendar Photo Competition
If you haven't heard we are running a photographic competition, we hope that winning entries will feature in a 2026 Buckenham Wood Calendar. To find out more about the competition and how to enter click here.
Theme: Buckenham Woods 🌳 throughout the seasons 🌸☀️🍂❄️.
Submission Period: 1st January 2025 – 7th July 2025
Eligibility: Open to everyone
Prizes: 12 winning photos will be featured in our 2026 BAWT calendar, all 12 winners will receive 2 free copies of the calendar and recognition on our social media channels and website. Additional prizes for the judges' two favourite photographs are also available (£75 and £25 photography vouchers).
Photographs taken before the submission period can be submitted, as long as they were taken in the central plot of Buckenham Wood managed by the Trust.
Click below for more information and good luck!
A quick note about the Strumpshaw Neighbourhood Plan
Neighbourhood Plans enable communities to have a say about the development and growth of their local area. The current plan for Strumpshaw, adopted in 2014, covers the period up to 2026 and forms part of the development plan for the district. It is one of the main considerations in determining any future planning applications submitted in the parish. The Steering Group, set-up to review and update the Neighbourhood Plan for the next 15-20 years, is asking for your input to ensure that the plan works for everyone.
The draft Strumpshaw Neighbourhood Plan is ready for you to review. Share your thoughts on it from 1st February to 17th March 2025. Click here to access the Strumpshaw Neighbourhood Plan and to submit your comments. https://strumpshaw-pc.gov.uk/neighbourhood-plan
Five easy ways to support the Trust
BAWT purchased the woodland in October 2024, starting the hard work and financial commitment to maintain it. Let’s all get together to help ensure that the local community continues to benefit from our Ancient Woodland for generations to come.
1. Become a member – it’s free!
We need members so that funders can see we have community support, and to guide our decisions.
2. Volunteer
We need volunteers to help us raise money to maintain the woodland, and manage it for people and wildlife.
3. Donate
We’re raising money to maintain the woodland for people and wildlife. If you have already donated – thank you! Please spread the word and encourage others to donate.
4. Follow us on Facebook
Please follow and share us on Facebook.
5. Spread the word
If you think you know someone who would enjoy getting involved with our work please tell them about our website, where they can find out more about us.
This project is part-funded by the UK Government and Broadland District Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.