The Hreod Burna Urban Forest charity was set up to promote the provision of woodlands as a public amenity, for the benefit of the people of Gorse Hill, Pinehurst and the surrounding area. This is our online home for the latest news, information and events.

  • Latest on tree planting

    So sorry that there has been no information for you during this last week.

    I’m copying Steve’s latest post from Facebook here:

    Our landlord, Central Swindon North Parish Council, has asked us not to plant any more trees until we have given them a plan of what we intend to plant and where we intend to plant them.
    This leaves us with a problem. The remaining whips are in a ditch that is full of water and they are also being interfered with.
    I intend to move them onto the allotments tomorrow, Saturday 21st December. If you could help, that would be most appreciated.

    Time & venue: 10.00 am, where the planting has already taken place i.e. the Cricklade Field.

  • Bulletin for Saturday 14th December

    We shall not be planting today.

    And, although the plan originally was to plant both days of the weekend, we shan’t be planting tomorrow, Sunday 15th, either.

    More updates as we have them.

  • Tree planting Thursday 12th – Saturday 14th December

    The weather forecast for Thursday is not conducive to asking volunteers to come out and plant trees (and my own spirit quails at trying to do so). So we will not be meeting on Thursday 12th, but would love to see as many people as possible on both Friday 13th and Saturday 14th.

    We aim to start at 10 a.m. and go on till a reasonable time, given weather conditions and age of bones. We had a grand crowd today and we managed to do some serious planting.

    We’ll be finishing off in the Cricklade Field (please see the HBUF map on this page if you’re unsure of where that is) on the Friday, and then moving to the area beside Pinehurst Road as soon as we possibly can. We would really like to complete our tree planting over those two days.

    Once I can manage to do it, I’ll put up some photos of our stalwarts, working in the field.

    To see the list of trees we’ve been planting, look at “This and That, a Blog from June”. They’re all there.

  • Tree planting

    We’ll be going ahead with more planting tomorrow (Monday 9th December). The day is forecast fine, and it would be so good to see lots of people there. It’ll be the same area, the field beside Cricklade Road, and the same time to start, 10.00 a.m.

    If you come by car and park in the small car park off Pinehurst Road, just follow the cycle path round on foot to the other side of HBUF.

    We had greater numbers today, including a family with two dogs, three children, one grandfather and lots of tea/coffee/hot chocolate and flapjacks. And they did lots of tree planting, too.

    Just a small note about how we plant – we put in the large-canopy trees first at a distance of about 2m (that’s four adult paces), and then infill with the smaller, forest-edge plants. Steve will have delineated the areas within which we plant.

  • Today 7th December

    We started our tree planting today in Cricklade Field. Two people who excelled themselves today were Scott and Fergus, who planted an amazing number of trees – such hard workers.

    We shall be planting again tomorrow, Sunday 8th, also in Cricklade Field, again starting at 10.00. Since the days are now so short, we will be working until about 3.00/3.30.

  • More Trees

    So 10.00 tomorrow (7th) and 10.00 Sunday (8th December) to start our tree-planting . Cricklade Field is the site to be first planted. Come one, come all to this joyous occasion. Even the weather forecast is looking promising (but Sssh, just in case).

  • Votes of Thanks

    To all the wonderful young people from Inner Flame who worked so hard last month (November).   

    They

    • Dug tree wells round many of the trees in the picnic field and infilled with bark chippings
    • Learned how to use the mower and the strimmer
    • Finished mowing the wildflower meadow in the Ballman Field
    • Mowed the area in readiness for the Celtic Tree Circle, also in the Ballman Field, and cleared some of the brambles there
    • Cleared the overgrown area beside the brook, on the other side of the orchard
    • Put up an insect shelter

    And thanks to Jason Dilworth who is teaching us coppicing. 

    Thanks, too, to the people from Twigs, who have been clearing more of the brambles in the Ballman Field this week, in readiness for some tree planting around what will be the Celtic Tree Circle.

    More thanks – to Old Town Rotary Club Charity Ball

    Who have awarded us funding of £2,400 towards our tractor & accoutrements purchase (oh, how we are looking forward to being able to benefit from our tractor … when it gets here).  This will prove of huge worth to us, being able to do in a few hours what would probably take us days or even weeks to achieve.

  • Tree Planting Details (so far)

    • Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th December
    • Meet at the car park beside Pinehurst Road, SN2 1RH, at 10.00
    • Follow the signs for the tree-planting
    • If you’re coming on foot, go straight to the Cricklade Road entrance beside the Chinese takeaway
    • Bring stout footwear and a spade (if you have one)

    A lot will depend on how many people come each day and how many trees are left to plant.

    Therefore, any further tree planting details will have to wait.

  • December 2nd 2019

    The Consultation

    Those who took part in this were overwhelmingly in favour of planting more trees and continuing our wildflower meadows. 

    In order to give a fair picture of the responses, there was one person who didn’t want any trees to be planted, and seven people who didn’t want any additional areas of woodland near HBUF. 

    There were, however, twenty-two people who wished to become members of HBUF (I haven’t yet managed to get your details from the Clerk of the Parish, but will get in touch with you as soon as I have them).

    If we look at the questions/responses in slightly more detail, people:-

    valuing free natural space in neighbourhood – 95%

    visiting daily – 33%

    visiting on a weekly basis – 50%

    visiting never – 1.2%

    valuing having native woodland in neighbourhood – 98%

    not valuing having native woodland in neighbourhood – 1.2%

    wishing to see additional areas of woodland adjacent to HBUF – 91.5%

    not wishing to see additional areas of woodland adjacent to HBUF – 8.5%

  • HBUF Survey and Consultation

    Well, who would have thought it?  That which was imminent has now come to pass, and the responsibility for our HBUF lease has now legally passed to the Central Swindon North Parish Council.  Not only that, but with a ninety-nine-year term. 

    With the help of the Parish we have set up a consultative survey on our proposed “Towards Ten Thousand Trees” project.  We would genuinely like as many replies as possible so please fill in the survey and share as much as possible.  Your support and encouragement are vital to our plans.

    https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/2YGH2BY

    Not only that, and also in relation to that same project of ours, the Parish have asked HBUF to plant some trees on Cobden Green, an area of grass and existing trees off Iffley Road.  Steve Thompson measured the area and drew up a plan to plant four hundred and fifty trees.  This plan was approved by the Parish, who have ordered the trees which will be delivered in early December. 

    We need all the help we can get to plant these trees.  We would particularly like people local to the area to help us plant, as well as local councillors from both councils.  So please pencil in 9th December as planting day.

    Brilliant news, I’m sure you will agree.  Well, I’m pretty chuffed about it.