Our first annual conference was a great success and we plan that it will become an annual event.
This was a celebration of what we achieved, an opportunity to tell a wider audience what we do and where we do it, and most importantly, to thank our volunteers for the amazing work they carry out helping to plant trees, create woodland and maintain woodland.
The event was held at Hexham and Northern Mart during National Tree Week and more than 120 people attended, from across the north of England. They were energised by our keynote speaker Lee Schofield, the author of Wild Fell: Fighting for Nature on a Lake District Hill Farm, his account of a decade working for the RSPB at Haweswater in the Lake District National Park, where he oversaw pioneering conservation work including new woodland planting. He’s now working on the largest Landscape Recovery Project in England, aiming to create a 60 square mile corridor of widlife-rich land extending from Penrith to Kendal, in partnership with more than 30 landowners and farmers. So he really understands and supports our mission.
We also heard from Dr Rachel Penn and Sian Atkinson from the Woodland Trust who talked about the ancient woodlands of north east England – their biodiversity and cultural significance, and the importance of creating new native woodland.
It was the range and diversity of our work that impressed the attendees. Many said they had no idea just how much we were involved with, and how much our volunteers carry out across the region. Organiser Geoff Bockett said: “The conference has been a great success and the feedback we have received has been universally positive. I think the main issue that people have commented on is that they were unaware of the breadth and depth of the organisation’s reach. They now have a much more holistic understanding of Living Woods as a result of the conference.
“We asked all participants to answer this question: Why do woodlands matter to you? and write their answer on a leaf, which was then pinned to a tree. These ranged from ‘Trees hold the wisdom and the majesty of the natural world’ to ‘Woods are my happy place.’”
Director Mark Shipperlee said: “We wanted people to come and see the bigger picture of Living Woods, and they joined our celebration of the efforts and achievements of the many people who have connected together to create and care for woodlands.”
The event was followed by a screening in Hexham’s Forum Cinema of Tim Stead: Magician with Wood, a film by Beatrix Wood.