The end of the year 2022 signalled some change to the organisation of the Friends of Bentley Wood. Sadly, both Tony Goddard and subsequently Steve Brunt resigned from the Committee. They are concentrating their efforts on their Trustee roles, so we have not lost them entirely. Tony, though, was the Treasurer of the Friends and we have taken a little time to find his replacement.
While we get our new finance system in place, we have suspended the payment of subscriptions for this year. Some 2023 events are RSVP and pay-on-the-day, which you will see on the Programme. See Programme
As a Committee, we have, over the course of the last few months, been discussing changing the way that we do things going forward into 2023, whilst also wanting to add to our range of activities.
Education is very high on our agenda. We would like to see more School visits to the Wood, and to play our part in enabling those visits.
So over 2023, we will be launching an education initiative. This will comprise visits from local schools and Brownies, Guides and Scouts to the Wood, intended to enable engagement with the young (and, through them, with their parents) to create awareness of, and a better understanding of, the Wood and its wildlife.
At the same time, we have launched this brand new Friends of Bentley Wood Newsletter, which we aim to produce for you 3-4 times a year.
We have discussed these ideas with the Trustees and they have confirmed their approval.
Your Programme for 2023 will look slightly different from previous years. Whilst many of the former events will remain unchanged (for example, the Bean Pole Celebration organised by the Bentley Wood Conservation Volunteers and the Spring and Autumn Drive Throughs as well as the Fungus Foray), the Summer Picnic will be combined with The Morning of Marvellous Moths as well as Phil Read’s fascinating display of animal skulls (both are great crowd pleasers!) to create a single Bentley Wood-based Friends annual event on 30 July. We hope to see you there.
2023 will in these respects be a trial year. I hope you will join me in welcoming these intended initiatives and changes, and I thank you all for your support in respect of them.
Graham Bennett,
Chair of the Friends of Bentley Wood