My husband, Ian, and I moved to Taunton from the seaside town of Teignmouth eight years ago. Little did we know at the time that there was an exciting new woodland project kick starting almost on our doorstep and they were looking for volunteers to help with tree planting!
Previously, I had been a National Coastwatch volunteer in Teignmouth. It is a charity supporting the Coastguard service helping to save lives at sea. Having retired, I wanted to give some of my free time to helping a worthwhile cause and learning new skills.
So discovering the Somerset Wood opportunity to volunteer was just the ticket and Ian joined as well.
I have always enjoyed the outdoor life and the beauty and preservation of nature. I was lucky enough to achieve a Millennium award to take part in an Earthwatch research programme studying the endangered echidna (sometimes called a spiny anteater) on Kangaroo Island in Australia. It was an amazing experience working with a team of other volunteers from the UK, USA and Australia.
I was very interested in the Somerset Wood as it was created to commemorate the 11,281 Somerset residents who fell in WW1 by planting a tree for each one of them. I loved the concept of this and was motivated to become part of the team to achieve this ambition which would become a legacy for generations to come.
Little did I realise that this would open up a whole new world of understanding the life of trees, and new skills like dry hedging, pond management, scything and hedging.
Wildlife of all sorts visit the wood and country park as well and I love to see the fruits and nuts on the more established trees that can be fodder for them. Seeing the trees changing over the seasons is so motivational and each visit becomes a voyage of discovery! Deer have a penchant for young trees so I have learnt a lot about preventative measures to help the trees survive.
A new WW2 memorial was inaugurated last year enhanced by a series of information boards. I was keen to include the contribution women made to the war including the Air Transport Auxiliary in which women played an important part, so I worked with Candy on the design of this board for the collection.
Candy and the volunteer team are a joy to work with ….we work hard and have fun in a beautiful environment so what more could I want for a reason to return. The views on clear days are beautiful and it’s the perfect place to see fantastic sunsets. I am so lucky to have all this on my doorstep!