AuthorFinings Wood Group news provided by our Secretary, Paul Thomas and other contributors Archives
April 2024
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Lovely Ramble19/4/2024 15 members of the Risborough Countryside Group gathered at Laceys this morning for a walk in Finings Wood to check the bluebells. We saw the first swallows of the Summer! Also kites, buzzards, linnets and a skylark. This is the 3rd time that the group has supported the campaign and are always keen for news of our progress to buy Finings Wood.
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Celandines spectacular!16/4/2024 Check out the fabulous yellow flowers of #Celandines lining the footpaths and banks in #FiningsWood, looking splendid opening up fully, in the spring sunshine.
#chilternfootpaths #woodlandwalks #AONB #springflowers #beechwoods
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Bluebell time!10/4/2024
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Wood anemones17/3/2024 The first wood anemones in Finings Wood 2024 on display amongst the promise of bluebells this morning. A true indicator that this is Ancient Woodland and a reminder to us all to protect and nurture what is on our doorstep. Our Finings Wood questionnaire also features the Wood Anemone. Have you completed yours yet? Please do it now, it will help with the large grant towards the purchase and future safeguarding of your Woods. Click on this link.
https://forms.gle/P8XTB2ptVKCzLC23A #finingswood #woodanenome #chilternwalks #ancientwoodland
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Scan in the woods!7/3/2024
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Help please! survey time!1/3/2024 Many of you have already donated toward the purchase of Finings Wood and we’re incredibly grateful. However, in order to access the large grants which would make the ultimate difference, we need to evidence that local people use Finings Wood and want it to be saved for future use by the community. Please would you give us a few minutes of your time to fill out a short survey? Scan the QR code if you're on a different device, or click the link here: https://forms.gle/ymFsbXkZXL4GhLKj7
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Wet walking today18/2/2024
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Walking and planning!16/2/2024 Introducing Lenny and Tom to Finings Wood and Silvana. As project managers they are helping with our application for a community ownership grant, that, if successful will accelerate the purchase plans. Today we all escaped our screens for a while to meet up and enjoy an early Spring walk and show them around Finings Wood and Lane End. They have the maps as reminders of the day.
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There's a dragon in the woods!11/2/2024 It's the year of the dragon, we have a friendly one here in Finings Wood, I wonder if any of our readers and 799 FB followers have spotted him for themselves?
Clue.... It's a favourite spot for the kids that love to climb, close to the footpath. Maybe after this post our kind green eyed dragon can roar with success that we now have 800 fantastic people interested in helping us raise the profile of #Finingswood becoming community owned and loved. #ancientwoodland #chilternfootpaths #chineseyearofthedragon Facebook post by Pauline Thomas our resident artist!
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Tree down beware!24/1/2024 A big old beech tree is down across the bridleway towards Laceys. If you are walking you can scramble through a path we have cut but a horse would struggle. Back soon with a bigger saw............. All clear now! Paul Thomas - Facebook
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The head is found....14/1/2024 From a supporter....
You will be happy to hear that whilst walking my dog this afternoon (Saturday ) I discovered Sylvana’s head in the bushes by the foot path. I have been down to her and reunited her with her head. I don’t think it will fall of again as I’ve wired it on. But if you feel it necessary please check it. As I only used what I had in my car at the time. She’s looking her old beautiful self again tonight.
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Poor Sylvana13/1/2024 Very sad to report that Sylvana has lost her head. It looks like it was carefully removed from her body, It must've happened Friday afternoon 12th or this morning. Did someone want it as a trophy or has it been thrown in a bush nearby? Sylvana was becoming a well known character next to the climbing tree. It's not just the children that will be very upset. Did anyone see anything suspicious? Why?
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Great start to the year!6/1/2024 Good news this morning! We have been successful in being awarded the £15,000 we applied for from the Southwest Chilterns Community Board. Their Manager, Makyla Devlin says " I am so pleased that the Community Board can be part of such an amazing project."
So a big thank you to them, and a thank you to the Lane End Parish Council who have offered (because of the Community Board rules) to receive the money on our behalf. We will ask them for the transfer as soon as we are ready to purchase the woodland. This is a great way to start 2024 and we are working on the other bids right now
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Tea Towels5/1/2024 £42 was raised from the sale of the Finings Wood Tea Towel last year. I popped it in the Aviva fund so it was doubled to £84. This was a bit of an experiment and I’d be keen to hear of other ideas for things that could bear artwork featuring our beautiful wood! Caroline Priestly - a supporter and Rachel Wallace for her photography
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Happy New Year31/12/2023 These words by Magna Carta from `Seasons` 1970 came to mind this New Year's Eve.
For this is the turning of the year, The final scene before the curtain falls. And now, beside the road there stands… The pilgrim of the year to be.
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Hedgebeard wishes....21/12/2023 And a very Happy Christmas from Hedgebeard in Finings Wood.
See you at Winter Wings on Friday 29th December.
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Thank you thank you14/12/2023 High five! We did it! What a caring, generous, nature-loving and amazing community we have here in the Lane End Parish. The support that the Finings Wood Community Group committee have had from you has helped us keep going. It takes a lot of work, time and effort to mastermind the purchase of a large woodland for our community. But we are getting there!!
As you may have heard yesterday, the Aviva crowd funding has just closed and this fund was so good to us - to start with we were matched by 2x each donation (with Save our Wild Isles funds), and then matched by Aviva. The grand totals are: 410 pledges Donating a total of £25,564 So what next? Phew we can all have a little rest – as all funding bodies have a little lull in activity over Christmas. But we have a further 4 lots of funding bids already in progress, 3 being assessed right now. These will add to our excellent start and enable us to purchase Finings Wood for everyone. Three bids are in and the fourth is being moved along by members of the team who have a Zoom meeting set up with their advisors next week. We will keep you posted as we hear news. In the meantime you will hear very soon of a little fun thing for families planned for the woods on December 29th. So look out for the upcoming information on this free event. Have a lovely Christmas, a good rest, and be ready for action in the new year Dr Jill Eyres
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Winter Wings14/12/2023 When the thrill of new toys have waned and parents are desperate to get antsy kids out of the house, we're running a children's activity trail in the woods 10-30am-12.30pm on Friday 29 December. Meet at the entrance to Finings Wood by Lacey's.
Winter Wings children's trail is themed around birds migrating from the frozen north to the safety of Finings Wood - and the adventures they have on the way. Our little redwings and fieldfares will encounter scary Mrs Owl, spin a giant compass to find their way, battle through stormy weather and make a bird feeder from pine cones and seeds. Wrap up warm and see you there!
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WOWOWOW!13/12/2023 Wow. Just wow. And thank you from the bottom of our hearts. The Aviva crowdfunder has now ended, and you helped us raise a spectacular £25,564!!
This is brilliant and goes towards our goal of owning Finings Wood for the community! You are all amazing and we are so thankful words do not seem enough. Our committee would also like to say a HUGE thank you to Jill Eyers our committee member for grants. She worked so hard on this project getting it to be accepted and is a force to be reckoned with. Jill will be giving you all an update of info regarding the grant in another post, then we will leave you in peace until tomorrow when we announce a little Xmas gift from us to the families with little ones in the village taking place in-between Christmas and New Year in the woods! Watch this space. We still have a long way to go to own this woodland, but today our little team are so chuffed with this amazing amount raised and are rather loving our incredible supporters who personally donated from this village and surrounding villages and donations from businesses and more. The messages of support showing in the fund are so lovely to read. Big hugs. HUGE!
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Just a few days left12/12/2023 There are now just 22 hours before Aviva will stop matching your Finings Wood donation. At 16.00 tomorrow (13th) the fund will close, so please put that £10 or more towards this great local project and it will become £20 `just like that`. Go to the Aviva site below, edit the amount you wish to donate, zero the tip and add a supporting comment. £250 is the maximum amount that Aviva will double, What a great fund raiser, just look what has been added in the last few days.
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£21,000!8/12/2023 Wow! Just gone over £21,000! We have 5 days left before this crowd funder ends with a £30k target allowed. We are so thankful of everyone's support this side of Christmas to help us save Finings wood for our local community.
So if you have not donated already, watch your donation double so every penny is valued! Let's do this Finings Wood supporters! @everyone
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£19,000!5/12/2023 This Aviva matched crowd fund for Finings Wood has just tipped over to £19K. Any donation from £5 up to £250 gets doubled. The target is £30K before next week so this is your chance to say `I helped buy Finings Wood` Add your donation, zero the tip and add a comment for all to read.
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Chilly day!3/12/2023 Very cold but very worthwhile weekend at Laceys Christmas fair. The Aviva matched crowd fund has increased by nearly £1000 to £18,736 Thank you for those generous donations towards the Finings Wood purchase that get doubled by Aviva. 9 more days left before this special fund closes.
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Beautiful photographs30/11/2023 Last chance for Special Pre-Christmas prices on Finings Wood framed (and unframed) photographs. Come on down to Turville Studios this Sunday 11-4pm to see these and many more local woods and tree images.
10% of sales from this series go towards the funding for Finings Wood - so you will be giving twice if you buy one as a gift! Christmas cards, gifts, framed and unframed prints and originals, at affordable prices too- all at Turville Studios this Sunday. |