purchases. If no nomination is made, the Co-op accumulate the money and divide it equally between the three Local Causes.

There was little room on the Co-op website so we published a full statement of our objectives in the Winter 2018 Newsletter. The same wording was used in a poster campaign. In summary, they were to purchase and install Entrance Map Boards, increase the area of open grassland in Norsey Meadow, and improve ponds and picnic areas. (Read about our Tania’s Pond restoration in the Summer 2021 Newsletter.)

We were presented with a cheque for over £9,500 on November 19, 2019. Members of the Volunteer Working Party installed five entrance map boards costing just over £4,600 at the main pedestrian entrances during the Summer last year. Around £1,000 was saved because our Newsletter Editor produced the artwork which required minimal finessing by the manufacturer who added the iconic Norsey Wood images of the Wren, Speckled Wood butterfly, Fox and Wood Anemone. The Co-op funding was used for installation materials. This was before the ATV stolen in March 2019 had been replaced so we purchased a hand trolley that is now used practically every week to transport material and tools across the Wood.

A major step in our multi-year project to restore Norsey Meadow was enabled by funding a local Contractor, nominated by Chris Huggins before he retired, to thin the encroaching secondary woodland last Winter. Only 40 trees were felled but we estimate that the ground opened-up for wildflowers has almost trebled the size of open meadow. A separate article about the variety of plants that have appeared during the first year appears on page-? There are over 70. For a more complete explanation of our overall plan read the article in our Spring 2021 Newsletter.

As an aside we persuaded the Council to fund the Information Boards now installed in the Dutch Barn which released Co-op funds for other projects. Those boards were written and used pictures taken by Committee Members. Again some Co-op money was used for installation materials and signage.

Recently we have funded 3 new picnic benches made in the UK from recycled plastic which will be installed in the Main Picnic Area in the next few weeks. Our final large expenditure was just over £2,000 spent on decking safety strips for some of the wooden bridges. We have been concerned about the effectiveness of the previous solution of nailing fencing wire to the treads for some time and borrowed this solution from the Mill Meadows boardwalks. We are pleased that following this example of ‘pump priming’ the Council will adopt non-slip strips for future projects.

We have had one disappointment. We spent £39 on wildflower plugs which went into the East Meadow in Autumn 2020 to see if we could use this method more extensively in Norsey Meadow. For a reason we don’t understand, they all failed. However, it does illustrate the value of taking time to pilot ideas rather than waste a larger sum in Norsey Meadow. We plan to pilot seeding this Autumn.

Some smaller items such as funding a reprint of ‘Why are we Felling the Trees’ have not been itemised. However, overall, we believe we have honoured our objectives to the Co-op Members, brought significant benefits to the Wood and achieved good value for money.

Many thanks to the Co-op and their members - The Committee.