AuthorFinings Wood Group news provided by our Secretary, Paul Thomas and other contributors Archives
April 2024
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What a lovely fete day!17/6/2023 The combined forces of the Lane End conservation group, the Lane End, Finings Wood Group and the newly formed sustainability group all on show today at the fete. Cup cake bingo and the unlucky dip provided the light entertainment and raised cash towards the Finings Wood fund. Thanks to a great team and to the organisers of the fete at Lane End Village Fete & Dog Show The empty box had been full of Jill's geodes which the children won for being brave enough to do the Unlucky dip. Katy won't be icing any more cup cakes for a little while! CENTIPEDE was the answer to the insect activity game that Donna had organised. Prizes were won. Great day.
Author - Paul Thomas - Facebook post
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Have a guess....16/6/2023 I am going to leave you guessing what this is all about, you will have to come to the Finings Wood stand at the Lane End Village Fete & Dog Show tomorrow to find out.
#woodlandsculpture #finingswood #fundraising
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Out again!10/6/2023 We will be at Laceys' Family Farm open farm Sunday tomorrow. Come over and have chat about Finings Wood! Author - Paul Thomas - Facebook post
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Come and see us!3/6/2023 A very tall girl supporting Lane End, Finings Wood Group stand today at the Lane End Sports Association music festival. We talked to lots of Lane Enders about the woods, one little 8? year old was desperate to donate her 50p pocket money into the fund!
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Arial battles!9/5/2023 There was an aerial pitched battle in Finings Wood this morning between the resident buzzard and a passing red kite. It was all very exciting, although I was quite wary, having once been bombed by a dead pigeon as it was dropped between two scrapping kites. A fraction of a second and it would have landed on my head instead of on the path in front of me.
I think today's battle was territory, rather than food. I couldn't get a decent pic, so just borrowed a pic of a buzzard taken by my photographer friend Hugh Mothersole. Katy Dunn - Finings Wood Committee member
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Coronation weekend8/5/2023 On Big help Monday after the coronation and inspired by the Kings request to help, today is Lane End Litter Magnet's big litter event. Here is is our contribution. A bag of rubbish collected along the footpaths and bridleway of Finings Wood. Sylvana La Faye also plays the part of Woodland guardian and volunteer litter magnet saying 'Take your litter home' #finingswood
Paul Thomas - Committee Member - Facebook post
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And the winners are....28/4/2023 THE FOLKS WHO MADE THE MOST ON THE Finings Wood Sponsored Walk ..The overall winner is Colin Sharman who raised a magnificent £420! Well Done!
Closely followed by Carole Dibley who raised a fantastic £200. You have both won an oak Finings Wood rack for hanging your cups, keys, hats or dog leads. The official presentation of these prizes will be at the Lane End Village Fete & Dog Show on June 17th outside Holy Trinity Church. Come over to the Conservation/Finings Wood Group stand and learn the latest news on Finings Wood. The total amount raised on Sunday's sponsored walk including sales from the barbecue and cakes stands at over £2500 on the day. To all the people who enjoyed last Sundays walk, a big thankyou for all your contributions towards the purchase of Finings Wood. Eighty eight people walked through the Long Copse on this special day of access. There was no clear winner on the short walk, so the committee decided to allocate a second prize for the longer, more popular walk. Paul Thomas - Facebook post
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What a walk! wowsers!23/4/2023 85 Walkers, 2 donkeys, vistas and views for days, loads of burgers eaten, bacon rolls and cakes galore! What an event we had for our first proper fundraiser of this group. We cannot thank everyone enough.
Also -WHAT IS A LOG-OMETER? Witnessed by the walkers at the Village Hall today, Alastair and Paul are fixing the first slice onto the Log-ometer, recording the donations and grants that are being sought for the purchase of Finings Wood. This slice of beechwood represents the £20,000 now in the bank. It`s screwed down and it ain`t coming off! Thank you to all our supporters for the confidence you have shown by donating towards this huge community project.
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Routes finalised!12/4/2023 An update for everyone who is doing the walk on April 23rd. The routes are finalised. We shall have print outs for everyone plus Volunteers will be on hand on the route to make sure everyone knows where to go. Hoping for some good weather now! Alistair Broom - Chairman of our group - Facebook
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Easter time9/4/2023 EASTER MESSAGES
At the invitation of Elim Hope Church in Lane End the Finings Wood Community group met children and parents yesterday visiting the Elim Easter egg trail, a warm, family friendly opportunity to learn and be reminded of the Easter message. The Finings Wood display stand was there to show people what a great asset Finings Wood could be to Lane End, as well as ticking all the right environmental boxes for the fight against climate change. Thanks to those we met at Elim and subscribed to this group via the QR code, we are now getting close to the 500 members target on this facebook group. Don`t forget to register for the sponsored walk on 23rd April when the Finings wood group will be hosting an all day barbeque and cake sale for folks walking the 3K or the 11k routes. These walks are suitable for young families as well as serious walkers. Starting time between 10.30 and 12.00am then back to Lane End village hall after your walk for more sustenance. We have special permission to walk through the Long Copse where the bluebells should be at their very best. Paul Thomas - Facebook Post
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Hedgebeard is waiting!7/4/2023 You will need to get your boots out , ready to join in the fundraising Finings Wood Sponsored Walk which will start from Lane Village Hall and go through Finings Wood and the Long Copse with special permission for the shorter 2 km family walk which then continues around the Five Ends of Lane End village for the longer 11 km walk ending at the village hall, where food will be served all day.
. Look out for Hedgebeard showing off his new green boots already, to greet everyone on the footpath soon after crossing the bridge into woods from the Ditchfield Common entrance. The yellow Celandines look amazing all along the sides of the path and soon the Bluebells will be out too. Put Sunday 23rd April in your diary and come and say hello to Hedgebeard and his new friend that is joining us too. Pauline Thomas - facebook post
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Two old codgers!3/4/2023 TWO OLD CODGERS!
The routes for the long and short fund raising walks on Sunday 23rd April are almost decided and they are really lovely tours around our village. You can choose a shorter, family friendly trip down through Finings Wood to visit the Long Copse, this is usually closed and inaccessible BUT for one day only we have special permission to walk through and admire this sanctuary of bluebells. The longer walk also takes in the Long Copse then loops back to Lane End via Cadmore End and Wheeler End. If you do see these two old codgers on the way please help them get back to Lane End for the barbeque, teas and cakes at the village hall Register for the walk on the website www.finingswood.org.uk There will be prizes for the champion fund raisers on each walk. Paul Thomas - Facebook post
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Somewhere to sit...23/3/2023 These sawn logs make a lovely stop-off spot in Finings Wood. They’re perfect for a cosy natter or a solitary sunbathe through a gap in the trees.
Katy Dunn - Committee Member - Facebook post
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Tapping away!18/3/2023 While walking in the woods the other day I started to see holes that I had not noticed before. They were always 4 metres or higher in the tree trunks. The one I have shown here is fresher looking than most of them - the 'pecked at' wood becomes darker over the year(s). I suddenly realised we must have quite a few woodpeckers in Finings Wood. I had never heard them before - have you?
I am now paying much more attention to birds and learning to recognise them very slowly. I was amazed to have a friend point out a sparrow hawk at the Lacey's end of the wood. Is that normal? I would love to hear what you all see or hear when you go on your walks. I can then look out for them too! Jill Ayres - Facebook post
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Publicity and awards!18/3/2023 LITTLE THINGS MAKE A DIFFERENCE It has been a good week for Finings Wood. Firstly, we received news of a £500 award from the William Dean Countryside and Educational Trust (excellent), secondly the Finings Wood Community Group is on the front page and page 3 of the Bucks Free press (brilliant) and thirdly the plight of Britain`s Woodland will be highlighted in David Attenborough`s programme `Wild Isles` this Sunday evening at 7.00. (don`t miss it) Paul Thomas - Facebook post.
#BucksFreePress #finingswood
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Sponsored Walk!!7/3/2023 Sponsored walk! April 23rd, 10.30am-noon to start your walks from Lane End Village Hall.
Come and walk the five ends: Lane End, Cadmore End, Bolter End, Wheeler End and Moor End! 11k or 2k family walk. Please download the form on the website and register so we can gauge numbers. £20 min per adult please with a lovely hand carved prize for the most monies raised by one person. Also a mega surprise has been permission given to be able to walk in the long copse for that walk only! Not to be missed! Refreshments and BBQ food for sale afterwards. Come and have a lovely Sunday with us!
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Leaflets at Londis!9/2/2023 FAMILIAR FACES
Romi and Arti at Londis receiving the first Finings Wood leaflets and Caroline Watson and I telling them all about the plan for the community woodland, so next time you go into Londis pick up a leaflet, they are next to the doughnuts at the check-out. Paul Thomas - Facebook
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A lovely walk9/2/2023 Paul and I met with the South West Chilterns community board today. What a lovely walk and hopefully will help us gain more funding for this exceptional woodland. Jill Eyres - Facebook - one of our committee members.
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Big garden birdwatch7/2/2023 Autrhor - Katy Dunn - Facebook
It's not too late to get involved with the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. My log so far includes a blackbird, robin, blue tit and magpie. So far, so ordinary you may think, but there's wonder in watching a blackbird peck at the ground and come up with a wiggly worm, and in the dynamics of who gets first dibs on the bird feeder and who hangs back. (The robin's right in there, the blue tit watches and waits his turn, in case you were wondering.) What have you seen? (I didn't take these pics by the way - they're pics by my friend and wonderful photographer, Hugh Mothersole)
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Pebbles & volunteers needed!20/1/2023 Author - Dr Jill Eyres Mysterious pebbles in the woods. We've all walked over these for years, but there is more to the landscape of Finings Wood than you think! In fact, it is so puzzling to geologists, and seems to be such a special and very different sequence of sediments under the woods, that the Bucks Geology Group have designated this a Local Geology Site (LGS). The hills of the woodland are built up like a layer cake. The geology layers span from the oldest in the surrounding fields (Chalk around 80 million years old), then up through something called the Reading Formation sands which are an ancient estuary (50 million years old), goes on to the muddy bit on top which is London Clay (a time when the sea sneaked back in to Bucks) and the icing on our rock cake are some glacial sands and gravels of unknown origin. Now - if you say to a geologist that some rocks are really different or not understood, then expect them to get very excited! And they did. The site will soon be on the County listing as special for its geology. The Bucks Geology Group would love to do some research later in the year when hopefully our community group are the owners of the woodland. A call out for volunteers to help will go out to anyone interested.
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Update and fundraising18/1/2023 The Finings Wood Community Group committee had their monthly meeting last night and were joined by Nick Marriner of the Chiltern Conservation Board. Nick was very welcome as he came to listen to our plans, offer valuable advice and see where CCB may be able to help in the future.
He seemed very impressed with where we are and offered invaluable advice. So where are we? Our plans are moving forward and we have been receiving valuable and much appreciated donations since the New Year. We are now stepping our fund raising so will be distributing leaflets throughout the village in the coming weeks and we ask anyone who would like to donate to visit our website here Many thanks Alastair Broom Chairman FWCG
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Where is Hedgebeard?2/1/2023 HEDGEBEARD HAS GONE WALKABOUT!
Hedgebeard has moved into a different tree in Finings Wood. This friendly rustic hermit with tiny hedgehogs living in his beard has a New Year message for everyone. If you see him by the footpath, tell your friends to pay him a visit.
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Comments needed!1/12/2022 Finings Wood - comments needed for funding application
Morning everyone. I am going to speak to the area manager for the Heritage Lottery Fund next week (keep fingers crossed that the outcome is good for us applying for funding for our woodland project - we are calling the project 'Rooted in the Community'). It would be really helpful to have some comments from some of you as to why the wood is important to you. It would help me present an overview of opinion to the HLF. I know I have spoken to quite a lot of people coming to our stand or at the talk the other night, but first-hand quotes are brilliant. Feel free to post here or to PM me. Jill Eyres via Facebook. Please send your comments to Paul who can pass onto Jill.
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Website live!1/12/2022 Author - Caroline Watson - Facebook
We are delighted to officially launch our website, and welcome your donations on the support page! Thank you to Pauline Thomas for our lovely logo and Katy Dunn for her editing and copy skills. Please share with those friends who do not have facebook, but want to follow our journey. We have a blog where we share all of the facebook posts and other news. Come and visit and donate! www.finingswood.org.uk
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If you didn`t get to Dr Jill Eyers presentation of Finings Wood last night (Thursday) then you missed a very uplifting and informative talk. About 40 people came to Cadmore End Village Hall where the LECG were hosting Jill as the guest speaker at their AGM. Geology, History, place names and conclusions about managing and protecting Finings Wood were discussed and how to make it more accessible to all who live nearby.
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