Birchanger Wood Trust is a voluntary organisation with no paid staff. All our income is invested in our local wood, including equipment as well as professional assistance where absolutely necessary. Volunteers carry out coppicing during the autumn and winter. In the spring and summer, when the trees and flowers are growing and cannot be disturbed, we carry out litter picking as well as count and analyse the woodland flora and fauna.
As a charitable incorporated organisation, we are accountable to the Charities Commission and are required to submit our financial returns every year. This gives you the peace of mind that donations are used only for charitable purposes, to keep the green lungs of our local community healthy, support local wildlife and hold onto this important ancient woodland for future generations.
There are many ways you can help us:
Donate to the work of the Trust – Either a regular contribution or a one-off donation, perhaps through a fund-raising activity or to mark an occasion such as a birthday or an anniversary. These funds are vital to ensure we can manage and improve one of the area’s largest open access woodlands.
If you would prefer to pay directly or have problems making a donation via our website, please contact treasurer@birchangerwoodtrust.org
Buy firewood – We have a sustainable management programme for Birchanger Wood in which trees are regularly coppiced, creating firewood for sale. Our firewood is seasoned in covered log stores over the summer, providing a high quality, low smoke wood for burning either in the hearth during the winter or in a fire pit during a summer barbecue. Turn up in your car on a Saturday at compound near the water tower on Heath Row to buy firewood, charged per wheelbarrow-load.
Become a volunteer – Get fit and healthy in the fresh air for a worthwhile cause – it’s more rewarding than the gym and it’s free! Our main conservation activity is during the autumn and winter months, when we carry out coppicing. During the spring and summer when the woodland is in growth, the main activity is keeping the woodland tidy and maintaining paths. We welcome people of any age and ability and our current friendly band of volunteers range from 18 to 80. Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme volunteers are also welcome, but we request you speak to our warden Pat Forrest. For more information, come to the compound near the water tower on Heath Row at around 10am on a Saturday morning.
Attend our events – Our educational events are for people of all ages and involve helping us record the biodiversity of the woodland – and any threats it may face from pests and disease. Whether you have an avid interest in insects or are just curious and want to know more, you are welcome to attend – free of charge. Click here to find out more.
Be our eyes and ears – If you see anything interesting, then take a photo and send it to us. If you think you’ve witnessed a crime, call the police on 101 and if it is an emergency call 999 – we would be grateful if you could alert us at the same time.
Share our social media – Get the word out on our activities by sharing news from this website and following our Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Birchanger Wood 