Welcome to the website for Castle Point Wildlife Group
DUE TO THE VERY WET WEATHER WE HAVE HAD TO CANCEL THE WORK PARTY PLANNED FOR 20TH MAY IN WESTWOOD - APOLOGIES!!
Our winter work parties have now ended, however we have put in place some work party dates for maintenance work during the spring and summer in both woods. Dates are on the events page and we welcome everyone who wishes to help.
As a result of the work we undertake in Westwood we often have a supply of logs for sale but have to say we have now run out of seasoned wood, but do have wood that will be ready for this coming autumn and winter. Free delivery of logs is possible in the local Benfleet, Hadleigh and Thundersley area however a small charge will have to be made for deliveries outside of Castle Point. More information on our Logs and Firewood page. For enquires please contact Neal on 07425 169476.
We are always looking for volunteers to join us to help with work in West Wood and North Benfleet Hall Wood. Please visit the membership page for details, or just come along to one of the events detailed on the events page.
If you wish to have a short talk about the group its activities and the woods we manage please contact us by e mail from the contact us page, and we will be very happy to oblige.
We are very pleased to announce that we are now a registered charity. Our charity number is 1139395.
We currently manage 2 areas of woodland within the Castle Point area of Essex.
Our first site is North Benfleet Hall Wood near Woodside Park which consists of around 11 acres of woodland with some natural ponds, the second and the largest is West Wood in Thundersley. West Wood is around 80 acres of ancient woodland previously owned by the Church, and now owned by Castle Point Borough Council. A woodland Management Plan was commisioned by the Council in 2010, which has now been produced and adopted by the Council. This plan is designed to regenerate the woodland and ensure the habitats for wildlife are developed and preserved. We are also very pleased that we have entered in to a new agreement with the Council as owners of the wood to continue to manage this wood in line with the Management Plan.
West Wood was historically a coppicing wood. Coppicing is where trees are cut back over a number of years to allow regrowth as well as to encourage plants to grow up and by thinning out the tree canopy it opens up the area for birdlife.We realise coppicing can appear quite drastic at times, but the benefits are shown a couple of years down the line.
We participate in other environmental projects around the borough and put on displays at local shows. We also support the area in assisting to educate the youngsters of the borough about the wildlife in their community.
Please vist the pages showing our work in the woods. We have recently completed restoration of a pond in Westwood which is part of an area we have developed for use by local schools for nature and environmental lessons. This project was funded by Veolia Pitsea Marshes Trust and we would say a big thank you to them for the funding theu give us.
We are very well supported by Groundwork who are a charity who carry out numerous projects within the community and they complete a number of tasks for us. We thank them for all this help. Some pictures of their efforts are shown on this site.Please visit their website www.groundwork.org.uk/southessex
We would also like to thank organisations who have supported us by way of grant funding for some projects. These include Veolia Trust who have provided funding for projects on both woods and most recently the Big Society Fund who have given us a grant towards training and tools.
As a group we are always looking for more volunteers to join us to help with the work in the woods. Membership is only £5 per year for a family. For further information please use the contact us page of this site, or to apply for membership go to the Membership Application page of this site and download an application form.
Work parties are regularly held in West Wood, please see events page for details (if the weather is wet or the ground is frozen in winter we sometimes have to cancel work sessions but please contact Neal on the day on 07425 169476 if you wish to check).
We also hold work parties in North Benfleet Hall Wood and again dates are shown on the events page. There are tasks for every one ranging from scrub clearance, coppicing to litter picking. If you do not wish to join the group but still want to help out that is no problem just come along in old clothes you will be very welcome.
We hold monthly meetings to discuss our activities, and information is displayed on the noticeboard at the entrance to West Wood off Rayleigh Road (opp Windsor Gardens) or by contacting us via the contact us page on this website. We also produce newsletters and the latest can be veiwed via this website (link on left).
If you are a visitor to the woods, we would welcome your feedback on any wildlife (birds, insects plants etc) you see so we can update the sightings list on this website for information of others. Please let us know via the contact page where we also welcome any general feedback and comments
We hope you enjoy the website and ask that you e mail us if you require any further information on our activities.
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