Page 38 - link magazine

38 The Link Magazine • February 2005
Community tree plant planned for 5 March
The Great Western Community Forest team and the Woodland Trust are organising another of the very popular family tree planting days
to take place, the first to the west of Swindon since 2001.
The event is returning to Purton Wood, on the edge of Moulden Hill work of local environmental groups.
Country Park, close to Taw Hill. The last one on this site took place in Planting will take place between 10am and 4pm. There is very
early December 1999 and both the trees planted then and the popula- restricted parking near Purton Wood so the community forest team are
tion living in North Swindon has grown enormously. This will be the asking people to walk or cycle along the safe routes from West and
first opportunity for many new Swindon people to participate in a North Swindon where possible.
community tree plant. They hope to organise a park and ride from the Hillmead Employ-
This will be a fun family day out. You don't need experience, the trees ment Area on Mead Way.
are free and experts will be on hand with advice. Wear wellies, bring gloves and wrap up against the weather.
There will be live music, face painting, children's workshops and For details call the Great Western Community Forest on 466315 or go
exhibitions about the community forest, the Woodland Trust and the to www.forestNNweb.org.uk

Forest protection Parents ground force to make
get-together planned an outdoor classroom
on the early December consulta- Swindon's newest school has received £500 to help it develop a pond
Did you turn out to one of themeet-
ings last April and/or the I May tion exercise about the park's fu- garden.
mass protest on Mead Way to pro- ture and how the community can The Parents Teach-
tect Shaw Forest Country Park? take part in shaping the strategy. ers and Friends As-
The protest group that sponta- Anybody interested in the coun- sociation at St Francis
neously combusted into life to ex- try park is invited to attend. To be Church of England
press the community's collective advised of the date of the meeting SchoolatTawHillap-
anger against plans to build a foot- mail: [email protected] plied for a grant to
ball stadium on the country park is • During February and March con- Swindon Council's
still very much in existence and is tractors will be planting several Local Agenda 21 for
holding its first annual general thousand trees at Shaw Forest thepurchaseofmate-
meeting in late February or March. which means construction traffic rials and plants to cre-
The Swindon Forest Protection using the Mead Way entrance. ate an area for science
Group will be reporting its activi- However the pedestrian en- studies.
ties over the last nine months and trance near the Mead Way under- Headteacher Clive
looking to the future of Shaw For- pass, from Cartwright Drive, has Westallsaidthetrans-
est Country Park. been widened and tarmaced to fer to the new facili-
Heather Lilley of the Great West- give foot access to the woodlands ties from the tempo-
ern Community Forest will report at the southern end of the park. rary accommodation
occupied since Sep-
tember went smooth-
ly so that children r
could start in their Parent Clare Arthurs and St F ancis children
permanent class- receive the Agenda 21 cheque from Gillian Chandler
with Clive Westall and nursery nure Celia Shaw
rooms at the begin-
ning of term in January. with the help of parents we will
He said, "the building contrac- soon see dramatic changes."
tors dug out the area and fenced it The Local Agenda 21 grants are
before handing over the school in designed to kickstart small scale
December to give us a head start projects to promote sustainable
on making an outdoor classroom. lifestyle, education and citizen-
"We hope to have a deck from ship. "Its great to be in on such a
which children can pond dip and brand new project and I'm looking
also a range of plants around the forward to seeing how it devel-
pond to encourage insects and ops," said Agenda 21 community
wildlife. There is nothing there yet worker Gillian Chandler.
but we are planning some family For details of Local Agenda 21
working days in the Spring and grants, call 463180.

Parties with added education
Finding new activities for children's birthday parties can be a night-
mare but Studley Grange Butterfly World near M4 Junction 16 have
got a package which is both fun and educational.
Feed the koi carp, learn about There's also a party room with
the life of a butterfly, find hungry catering facilities for the birthday
caterpillars, meet cockroaches, tea which can be provided or
scorpions, snails and other inter- brought in.
esting mini-beasts. And parents Other activities which can be
can just sit back, relax and marvel booked include 'paint a butterfly
at the beauty of hundreds of but- wall plaque' that children can take
terflies from all over the world fly- home and pottery painting, as well
ing around them in over 12,500 as the supervised soft play area.
square feet of a tropical paradise. For details of the range of treats
The tour lasts about 45 minutes, on offer at Studley Grange, call
and based on groups of ten or more, 852400, or mail: info@studley
prices start from £2.75 per child. grange.co.uk