We’ve had a busy couple of months at the Forest of Avon. Here’s a quick round up of what we’ve been up to… 

Most recently, our CEO, Alex, was invited to speak on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, to share her perspective on the importance of tree planting to reduce emissions and support climate targets, along with the collaborative effort taking place across country to get more trees in the ground. You can hear the full interview here starting at 2:54:55 mins. 

“The fantastic thing about trees and the impact they bring through recreation and people getting involved with planting trees – there’s nothing more tangible than planting a tree, thinking about how that’s going to grow over decades and remembering all of the benefits it will bring for future generations.”  – Alex Stone

We were also pleased to see the Forest of Avon and Western Forest mentioned in the UK’s 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, recognising the importance of nature-based solutions as part of long-term planning and resilience.  

Across England’s Community Forests, planting figures continue to reflect the collective effort of the network, with a record 3.1 million trees planted to boost woodland creation across the country during the 2024/25 season. 

And in June, we took part in the Festival of Sustainable Business, connecting with local organisations, partners and we even had the opportunity to chat with the new Mayor of the West of England, Helen Goodwin. 

Our Health and Wellbeing groups have been enjoying the warm weather and making the most of the sunshine by creating Cyanotypes (or sun prints!) 

By carefully choosing the best shapes of leaves and flowers to use, we slow down and use our senses more, helping us to relax and be more in the moment. And by creating something that needs the sun, we are connecting to the season of summer. Our groups have also enjoyed how cool and refreshing it is under the shade of the trees, noticing how much of a difference they make when it’s very hot. 

Make Your Own Cyanotype: 

1️⃣ Gather leaves, flowers, or fun objects you can find.

2️⃣ Use cyanotype paper (found in your favourite arts and crafts shop) 

3️⃣ Arrange your items on the paper. 

4️⃣ Put it in the sun (even on cloudy days!) Time outside may vary depending on the time of year (try 2-5 minutes in the summer / 20 minutes in the winter)

5️⃣ Once exposed, take it inside. 

6️⃣ Rinse with water to reveal the image. This will wash off any solution and fix the image so that it will no longer be affected by the sun. 

7️⃣ Let it dry… and voilà! Your own dreamy blue print. 

Our team recently enjoyed a sunny day together at The Retreat – a community woodland near Upton Cheyney. Planted in the new millennium, the Retreat is made up of 5.18 hectares of native woodland with great views extending over Bristol to the Severn Estuary.

Our Woodland Management Manager, Joe, soon put us to work haloing an old ash (removing undergrowth to give the tree more light and bring light to the woodland floor to allow new generation.) We also stacked up the brash into deadwood hedges, cleared debris from a freshwater spring, and picked up litter.

We shared a pot-luck lunch of sausages, burgers, salads and homemade cinnamon buns, and enjoyed spending time amongst the trees of this beautiful young woodland, imagining how it might look over the next 20, 50 or 100 years!