There are some Sundays that just feel different. Today was one of them.
After months of standing back and letting Mother Nature take the lead, our volunteers finally pulled on their boots, picked up their tools and headed back into the woodland.
And oh, how good it felt.
The weather was kind to us, the woodland was looking wonderfully green and bountiful and there was a real sense of excitement in the air.
We were back!
Back to the mud, back to the brambles, back to the nettles, back to the laughter and most importantly, back to each other.
One of our members said something today that really stayed with me. They told us how much they had missed our Sundays not simply because of the work we do, but because of the team and family feeling that being together in the woodland creates. I completely understood.
I have to admit, I’d been looking forward to this day for quite a while. There is something very special about seeing everyone arrive, saying hello, catching up on what has happened since we last worked together and then watching everyone naturally find their place and get stuck in.
And today we had an especially lovely reason to smile. We welcomed Elle, age 12, Ethan’s little sister, as one of our newest young volunteers.
Her passion for caring for our environment is clearly something that runs through the family, with her big brother Ethan and Dad Owen already regular volunteers each week.
Perhaps she has been watching them all along and decided it was time to join in!
And so the work begins…
Today we started preparing the stream for the months ahead.
After such a long dry spell, we took advantage of the safer access and got our boots on to start clearing its route and opening up the channels so that, when the winter rains arrive, the water can find its way through once again. Of course, the nettles and brambles had other ideas!
There is still plenty to do, but we’ve made a start.
Meanwhile, another team was busy clearing the rock exposure at our “Amphitheatre” revealing the layers of ancient rock beneath.
More than 300 million years of geological history are written into those strata and people come from all over the world to our woodland to discover and learn about this extraordinary story amongst our trees.
So today wasn’t just about clearing things, it was about caring.
Caring for the stream, caring for the habitats, caring for our geological heritage, caring for the woodland and perhaps most importantly, caring for the wonderful little community that has grown around it.
For months we have watched with pride and allowed the woodland to breathe, grow and flourish, today we stepped back into our role as its custodians, gently helping where help is needed, preparing it for the seasons ahead, and doing it together.
As I watched everyone working away today, I found myself thinking how lucky we are. Lucky to share this beautiful place, lucky to have people who care enough to give their time and lucky to have created something that feels like much more than a volunteer group. It feels like family.
Welcome back, everyone.
Our Sundays are back and I think we’ve all missed them more than we realised.
