Who Needs (Woodland) Friends?

18 hours ago
3 min read

Many of you may have already made use of the bridleway that runs through the woodland parallel to Sutton Hill since it was refurbished in February and March last year. The woodland is home to all types of birds, in particular Little Owls and both Green and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers.

Red Kites can often be spotted soaring above the wood, there are an abundant number of squirrels to keep dogs ‘on their paws’ as well as deer and a hare which can sometimes be seen in the cemetery.

It was in 1932 that the Rector of All Saints Church, Sutton Mandeville, the Reverend Walter made a gift of glebe land to the village to be used as allotments. A trust was set up and the allotments were established and have remained in use ever since. The stretch of woodland west of the allotments was tenanted for many years by the late Martin Green of Cromwell Manor. It was returned to the Trust in 2024.

In early 2025 some diseased Ash trees required felling; the cost was covered by the generosity of many in the village who raised £3,500 within a month. Since then grants totalling just over £16,000.00 have been received from Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL). These have enabled the Trust to refurbish the bridleway, which had become hazardous to navigate either by horse or on foot, to fell about twenty non-native spruce trees; the timber used to buttress the downhill side of track, and clear areas of undergrowth.

The tree and undergrowth clearance allows more light into the wood and this should encourage more wild flowers to grow, in particular bluebells, which grow in spectacular style on the bank above the bridleway, as well as foxgloves.

The allotment fence damaged by falling branches last winter has been repaired.

The aim of the work on the bridleway and the woodland is to make the area more accessible to all. The Rev Walter left the land in trust for the village and he would wish the people of the village to benefit from it.

Last year it became clear that the income generated by allotment rents (10 plots at £40.00 per plot per annum) barely covers the cost of annual water rates and the public liability Insurance for both the allotments and the woodland, let alone the essential and on-going management of the woodland and bridleway.

The Trustees have been lucky to have been awarded generous grants to carry out the work for the past two years. It would be foolish to suppose FiPL money will always be available. With that in mind, the Trustees propose to establish a ‘Friends of the Woodland’ group. To join the Group will cost £20 annually. (If twenty people join, the £400 generated would help pay for an undergrowth flail each year to help keep the undergrowth under control). It will also help satisfy ‘matched funding’ which is normally a pre-requisite for obtaining future grants.

Membership offers no privileges save the chance of volunteering for some occasional and healthy manual labour and the knowledge that you are helping maintain an attractive public space for the benefit of all.