Grand Duck Race, Sunday June 16

As part of our contribution to Chipping Sodbury Festival Week, we will be holding our annual duck race along the River Frome. Why not come along, have a flutter, and join us for an afternoon of races, a cup of tea and a doughnut? You are very welcome to come along and bring a picnic to enjoy in the park. The races start from 2.00pm.

Meet at Jubilee Park, Quarry Road, Chipping Sodbury, 2.00pm.

First blossoms of the year at The Orchard For The Future, Wapley

May blooms (and more) at Wapley Bushes

There are cowslips galore on the Lower Meadow

Wild Garlic in the Ancient Woodland

Bluebells throughout the woodland

Primrose among bluebells

Yellow archangel and bluebells

Ragged Robin

Hartstongue fern

And the traditional buttercups and daisies, of course!

Book Sale & Coffee Morning in aid of Wildlife, Saturday 18 May

You are most welcome to come and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, a slice of home made cake and have a browse through our varied selection of books that we shall be offering for sale. All monies raised will go to wildlife conservation projects in the Avon Valley area. If you can provide any books or cakes for this day, please contact Malcolm on 01454 310328.

The Baptist Church, High Street, Chipping Sodbury, 10.00am to midday.

Report from Work Morning, Saturday 16 March

A rather belated report from an excellent work morning. Around 18 volunteers, including a number of children, split up into three groups. One group tackled some very muddy planting, putting in 50 extra trees in the Jubilee Hedge.

Another team cut back some overhanging branches, while a very industrious group did a deep spring clean of the reserve, including some of the approach areas that hadn't been tackled for ages.

Well done everyone!

In the meantime, the buds on the horse chestnut tree we transplanted last year are showing nicely. Maybe Spring WILL come this year after all!

Wapley Work Morning, Saturday 16 March

We shall be undertaking a range management tasks that will help to enhance the biodiversity of this precious nature reserve. We'll be clearing back some vegetation on the main Ride between the woodlands and use any excess offcuts to build up the dead hedge at the edge of the Western Wood. We have about 50 small trees to be planted to infill gaps in the Centenary Wood hedge, and we'll be doing spring cleaning by litter picking around the reserve. Something for everyone!


Please wear stout footwear. Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, opposite the entrance to Cherington in South Yate, 10.00am.

Quiz Night Live, Friday 8 March

This is your chance to have some fun and pick a team of Eggheads and bring them along to our general knowledge quiz. We have found this to be a very popular event and you are most welcome make up a team name and bring your own snacks and beverages. We will also be serving tea and coffee for you in the break. Quiz teams are usually made up of four players at a cost of £2 each per person. Please contact Malcolm on 01454 310328 to book your team's place.

The Old Grammar School, High Street, Chipping Sodbury, 7.30pm.

Avon Wildlife Trust's Southwold Group is very active and would very much welcome more like-minded people to join them. They organise workdays, walks, surveys, fundraising events and it only takes a couple of hours every other month. If anyone wants to help out and try something new then please call Malcolm on 01454 310328 and you will be made very welcome.

We came, we sawed, we pruned...

Having lost two workdays in a row due to bad weather, we decided to hold a mini-workday today. People who had attended the pruning workshop last summer, plus a couple of others who had viewed the DVD we made of the event, gathered to do some light pruning of the young trees. We were happy to find that they were in good condition, and we're hoping for a vigorous year's growth ahead.

Our next Wapley Work Morning will be on Saturday 16 March - details will follow here.

Snow makes Wapley look like Narnia

A few photos from Wapley today.

Burn off those holiday calories! Wapley Bushes Workday, Saturday 19 January 2013

Update: This work morning has been now cancelled because of the snowy conditions. It's likely to freeze overnight, and it would be unsafe doing the work we intended using cutting tools.

This is your chance to burn off some of those Christmas calories by joining us for our first workday of the new year. We shall be undertaking general management tasks that will help to enhance the biodiversity of this precious nature reserve. Please wear walking or wellington boots and bring some gloves if you have them.

Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, 10.00am.

Avon Wildlife Trust's Southwold Group is very active and would very much welcome more like-minded people to join them. They organise workdays, walks, surveys, fundraising events and it only takes a couple of hours every other month. If anyone wants to help out and try something new then please call Malcolm on 01454 310328 and you will be made very welcome.

Merry Christmas from Wapley Bushes!

Just three more days to enjoy Westonbirt Enchanted Christmas 2012

The last three days of Westonbirt Enchanted Christmas 2012 will be Friday 21st, Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd December. It's better than ever this year - here's a slideshow of photos from last weekend with a taste of what to expect:



Adults £9, concessions £8, children £5. No dogs please except assistance dogs.  Westonbirt Arboretum, A433, 3 miles south west of Tetbury, Gloucestershire, GL8 8QS, 5.00 pm to 8.30 pm with the last entry at 7.15 pm.

The Spectacular Westonbirt Enchanted Christmas 2012 - Fri, Sat & Sun evenings from 30 Nov to 23 Dec 2012

The Enchanted Christmas will return this year with a spectacular new illuminated trail and more exciting festive activities, foods and stalls onsite. The costs are adults £9, concessions £8, children £5. No dogs please except assistance dogs.  Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening from 30 November to 23 December 2012 at  Westonbirt Arboretum, A433, 3 miles south west of Tetbury, Gloucestershire, GL8 8QS, 5.00 pm to 8.30 pm with the last entry at 7.15 pm.

Planting despite the rain!

When we were rehabilitating the old part of the Orchard for the Future earlier in the year, we started thinking what to do with a the trunk of a dead plum tree. We decided that we would make it a "feature". Despite having to cancel the work morning yesterday, members of the Wapley Bushes Conservation Group were able to plant a climbing rose in memory of a local Dodington resident, Mrs Molly Turner, later on in the afternoon.

This rose, Rosa "Wedding Day", will eventually produce a large display of flowers in the summer and hips in the autumn. The scented single flowers are wildlife-friendly and will be benefit pollinating insects such as bees and hoverflies. The summer flowering season will also complement that of the adjacent spring flowering fruit trees to provide a longer nectar and pollen season for insects. Similarly, the autumn hips will be of benefit to foraging birds. Not only good to look at, but ecologically useful!

Jane Giddings gets down and dirty planting the new rose

Meet our new friend Rosa...

Workday Sunday 4 November CANCELLED - have a squirrel instead!

We've had to cancel today's work morning due to heavy rain overnight making the ground unsafe for working. It's still raining and sleeting out there, so in case you need a wildlife fix to make up for it, here's a short video of a squirrel that Paul saw yesterday:

Wapley Bushes Workday, Sunday 4 November

This workday will be a morning of general maintenance work and tidying up the reserve prior to the winter season. Please wear walking or wellington boots and bring some gloves if you have them. We will provide the tools.

Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, 10.00am.

Owl Prowl at Ridge Wood Nature Reserve, Wednesday 31 October

We shall be joining our guide, Ian McGuire, for a twilight owl prowl through Ridge Wood and hear him call for the resident tawny owls. Please wear warm clothes and boots and bring a torch. This event has been organised in cooperation with South Glos Council.

Meet at the southern Quarry Road entrance to Ridge Wood, Chipping Sodbury, 7.00pm (until 9.00pm).

Kingsgate Park Ponds Workday, Sunday 28 October

We shall be undertaking maintenance of this important amphibian site including the cutting back of vegetation. Please wear gloves and wellington boots.

Meet at the Scott Way entrance to Kingsgate Park, Scott Way, Yate 10.00am (parking is available at the entrance of Shackleton Avenue).

Avon Wildlife Trust's Southwold Group is very active and would very much welcome more like-minded people to join them. They organise workdays, walks, surveys, fundraising events and it only takes a couple of hours every other month. If anyone wants to help out and try something new then please call Malcolm on 01454 310328 and you will be made very welcome.

Wonders of the Universe - Star Gazing, Thursday 25 October

This free presentation by Callum Potter of the Cotswold Astronomy Society will be an opportunity to learn more about the wider universe. If the skies are clear we will also walk to nearby St John’ Park to view the night sky. Please wear warm clothes, strong footwear and bring a torch. This event has been organised in cooperation with South Glos Council.

The Old Grammar School, High Street, Chipping Sodbury, 7.00pm (until 9.00pm). 

Fungus Foray at Tytherington, Monday 22 October

Our guide, Justin Smith, will help us get to know the difference between mushrooms and toadstools on this autumn mycological adventure. Please wear warm clothes and boots. This event has been organised in cooperation with South Glos Council.

Meet by the Village Shop at the junction of The Nurseries and Itchington Road, Tytherington, South Gloucestershire, 2.00pm (until 4.00pm).