President Simon Edwards wanted the Club to make an impact on the environment during his year of office. The Club already supports the Bexhill Environmental Group and gets involved in litter picking activities. So a more ambitious project was devised.
Permission was obtained from Rother District Council to undertake a conservation project in Collington woods. Whilst many parts of the wood are full of flora diversity with wood anemones, bluebells and other plants, other parts of the wood had become heavily overgrown with fallen trees, bramble and ivy growth.The aim was to remove the bramble and ivy by digging out the roots and replacing that with a selection of native British trees and native British Bluebells. The area would then be mulched with locally sourced tree waste to inhibit regrowth of weeds and bramble.
On the day of the clearance a Facebook call out attracted local volunteers, including some teenagers. After considerable hard work the area was cleared and prepared for the planting a few weeks later.
The Club was keen to involve a local youth group and the 9th Bexhill Scout Group were invited to help. Together with members and Friends of Lions, 50 saplings and 500 Bluebell bulbs were planted.
Simon thanked the Police Property Acts Fund for their support and the Woodlands Trust for the trees. He added ” Collington Wood is a very popular location for families and dog walkers. This project was to improve an overgrown area so that future generations can continue to enjoy the whole wood and look forward to a wide seasonal interest of flora, whilst ensuring that the additional trees would enhance the habitat for wildlife.We believe that by involving local youth in this project it has helped build social cohesion and possession of the woodland to ensure they take an interest and ownership of the project for the next generation.”
