Autumn is in full swing, and so is our woodland community! In this issue, we share the latest updates to the Buckenham Ancient Woodland Trust management plan, celebrate the success of recent work days, and invite you to read Bob’s Blog for reflections on the season.
Don’t miss the highlights from the BAWT Annual General Meeting and a showcase of our 2026 photo calendar competition winners.
Thank you for your continued support of Buckenham Wood —we hope you enjoy this issue!
For the latest news on how the Buckenham Wood management plan is progressing check out our dedicated website page, which we are keeping regularly updated with what is happening. Some key recent highlights are below:
Tree safety and management work: Contractors have been working in the woods carrying out tree safety work. This important work was recommended in the last tree assessment report. To view scheduled and future dates when the contractors will be in the woods, click here. Contractors will also be carrying out other tree management work (outlined in the management plan). To find out more about what they will be doing and why click here. For more even more information about why ancient woods need to be managed we recommend Bob's latest blog (below).
Path along the northern boundary: Work will begin in early November to decompact the soil along this path and install a hard-wearing permeable mesh surface. This surfacing will help stabilise the pathway and prevent further compaction and erosion.
Survey about the Buckenham Wood management plan: Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete our recent survey. Your insights and questions are invaluable in helping us understand what matters most to you. Follow the link to read the results. We have also addressed some of the key queries or concerns that were raised in the free-field sections of the survey. We aim to provide clarity where needed and share updates on the actions we’re taking in response.
As the air turns crisp and leaves begin to fall, autumn offers a natural pause— Join Bob this month as he describes autumn as a time for Buckenham wood to reset, reflect, and prepare for the months ahead. Bob tells us about dead wood and its vital role in providing habitat for insects, birds, and fungi.
Visitors to the wood will have seen the start of vital tree management and safety works. Bob share more about these carefully planned works and how it will support the woodland health and safety now and for the future.
The Buckenham Wood woodland management plan sets out a programme of much-needed improvements to help the wood flourish for years to come (to find out more click here). While some tasks will be carried out by contractors, there are plenty of opportunities for volunteers to get involved.
Since our last newsletter, we’ve held three volunteer work. A huge thank you to everyone who joined us—your hard work made a huge difference. Using our new tree puller, the team were able to clear a large area of removing invasive sycamore saplings, helping to reduce competition for light and nutrients among our veteran trees. To see photos of the amazing impact our voluteers had click here.
If you are interested in coming along to our next woodland work day keep an eye on our future events page, or sign up to become a volunteer to receive email notification of all planned woodland work days. Select woodland management as your volunteering interest to get added to the mailing list for work days.
The Buckenham Wood Annual General Meeting on 17th October 2025 was a resounding success, giving us an opportunity to reflect together on the past year and look ahead with optimism. We were thrilled to welcome conservationist Nick Acheson as guest speaker, whose captivating talk traced the rich history of ancient British woodlands and our enduring relationship with them. Nick also kindly helped judge our photo competition (winners announced below). Attendees had the opportunity to engage with trustees about the woodland management plan. Thank you to all who joined us — your support means everything.
For further details on what happened at this year's AGM, including a link to the minutes, click here.
We’re delighted to share the results of our recent photo competition, revealed at this year’s AGM. A huge congratulations to our winners—and thank you to everyone who entered, all the photographs were excellent. Click here to see the winning photos.
January. Frosty sunrise by Siobhan Isbell
February. February snowdrops by Julie Smith
March. Spring sunshine by Anna Morgan
April. Bluebells by Chelsea Weston – 1st place!
May. Bluebell path by Philip Williams – 2nd place!
June. Fugus by Anna Morgan
July. Dandelion seedhead by Chelsea Weston
August. Six tall teasel plants with curling leaves by Heather Toye
September. View from Buckenham Wood by Anna Morgan
October. Autumn begins by Jackie Clover
November. Puffball fungi by Anna Morgan
December. Winter sun through the trees by Anna Morgan
The BAWT trustees chose the final 12 which will appear in our 2026 calendar. Each winner will receive two free copies of the calendar. There were two additional prizes of some photography vouchers available. Nick Acheson who was our guest speaker at our AGM kindly helped select the winners of the vouchers which were announced at the AGM.
Our beautiful calendar, featuring stunning images contributed by the local community, is now available to buy.
Suggested donation: £8 per calendar
Where to collect: Calendars can be picked up from two locations (The Shoulder of Mutton and Pages Garage, Strumphsaw) — look for the collection boxes. Or contact the BAWT team via our email (info@buckenhamancientwoodland.org) for local pick-up/delivery.
Easy online donation: Our Just Giving page will be displayed (QR code) next to each box so you can donate on the spot – thank-you for your support!
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 more volunteers to help join us run the Trust, and to help with practical tasks in the wood.
3. Donate
We’ve raised money to purchase the woodland, but there will now be more work to be done in the wood.
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 funded by the Greater Norwich Growth Board through the Infrastructure Investment Fund.
This project is part-funded by the UK Government and Broadland District Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This project is part-funded by Broadland District Council through their s106 Green Infrastructure Fund.