Special Volunteering Day with Barclays

Friday, 24th October 2025

Oxleas Wood

A Wonderful Day in the Woods with Barclays 🌿

We were thrilled to welcome another fantastic team from Barclays to spend a day volunteering with us in the woods. Even better — two familiar faces returned after joining us at Castle Wood Meadow earlier this year!  Their enthusiasm (and the team’s generosity) meant not only 70 more volunteer hours were dedicated to caring for the woodland, but also we received a wonderful donation to support our ongoing work.

A return volunteering visit for two of this team!

After a week of heavy rain and blustery winds, we were relieved to be greeted by calm, bright weather — even if it was a little chilly at first!  Once we’d finished introductions and a fun icebreaker, we set off on a short walk through the woodland to the coppicing area, enjoying the peaceful surroundings and a chance to chat along the way.

Following a quick briefing about the woodland, conservation, and coppicing, the volunteers were split into three groups, each led by one of our experienced volunteer leaders.

•            Group 1 tackled brambles, trip hazards, and small holly saplings.

•            Group 2 cleared a dense holly stand, then cut branches into manageable sections.

•            Group 3 used the cleared holly, brambles, and waste to build a low dead hedge.

All three activities are essential to the safe and smooth-running of our new coppicing group: clearing the woodland floor will leave more space for new, diverse vegetation to grow; removing holly allows more light to help plant regeneration; the dead hedges mean nutrients are released into the soil as the waste decomposes while, at the same time, providing valuable shelter for wildlife.

After lunch, everyone had the option to swap tasks, but most chose to stick with their original teams, keen to see their projects through. By the end of the day, the team was tired, a little grubbyy, but full of pride in what they’d achieved — and rightly so! Their hard work made a real difference to the woodland and its wildlife.

A huge thank you to Angela and the Barclays team for your time, energy, and generous support.

The best part? We’re already planning our next volunteering day together this Spring — and we can’t wait! 🌳