Alice Holt Forest News Last Updated
11th August 2008
CONTENTS :
Forestry Operations now in Progress Are you concerned about the large amount of tree felling in the Lodge Inclosure? No need to be: Alice Holt Project Manager Karen Guest explains.
Old Arboretum plan to start with a kick off meeting on site in September Great news! The Forestry Commisiion wants to start work on restoring the Old Arboretum near Bentley Station. Richard Jinks will lead a public walk round the site at 5.30pm on Tuesday 2nd September.
A bright future for our Forest.Learn about the recent meeting between Forest Enterprise and local representatives Hear how FE havelong term plans which will make Alice Holt Forest more attractive for both people and wildlife.See the Herald's report of the meeting. We've also added some news from the latest follow up meeting which took place in the Pavillion at Binsted on 13th December.
Kennels Pond Update.Sadly the invasive Aussie waterplant Crassula helmsii is still a problem. See update.
Mowing and grading of rides. If you're wondering why such a mess was made of the forest roads in the Lodge enclosure, read the pros and cons of this work.
Changes to proposed boundaries of the South Downs National Park. See latest comment from MPs Chris Huhne, James Arbuthnot & Michael Mates. Plus sign the online petition to Gordon Brown organised by those unhappy with the drastic cutback of the proposed Park.
Take Four Artists. Read about the exhibition recently held in the Reearch Centre by www.aliceholt.org contributor Mike Young and four other artists
Forest Diary. The forthcoming events in and around the Forest & local Villages is now on a separate page >>Click Here for Diary of Events
Forestry Operations now in Progress
There's lots of signs up at the moment temporarily restricting access to parts of the Forest while felling and thinning work goes on. As ever this sort of thing can really worry regular Forest users, especially as comparatively little information is given on site.
Karen Guest from Forest Entrerprise, has done a great job explaining what's going on. Karen is Project Manager for Alice Holt and is both looking after the recreational aspects of the Forest, and starting work on a new Forest Design Plan: the basic "Blueprint" of how Alice Holt will be managed in future years. Karen is of the newer school of Forestry Commission officers, who believes in managing the Forest as a multi-demnsional whole and in the context of the surrounding area. Formerly the outlook was too often of the Forest in isolation as a block of land from which maximum timber production was to be squeezed, irrespective of other concerns. Karen and her boss David Williamson now implement a much more enlightened policy framework which balances the demands of the timber industry with leisure, recreation, education, wildlife and all the myriad other aspects of managing a unique woodland in the busy and crowded South East where pressures on open space inevitably compete.
Karen explains what's going on: "Most of the conifer trees in these areas will be thinned, including the pine that is suffering from red band needle blight. An area of Norway spruce that was due to be felled last year but was postponed owing to poor weather will be felled in accordance with the existing forest design plan. This area is situated below the arboretum. A second clearfell area will be worked in the centre of Lodge Inclosure beside the large fenced area of young Douglas fir. During these operations, the forester will take the opportunity to remove any overhanging vegetation from paths and tracks. After this work has been completed, we plan to employ a hardwood team in the early autumn to thin the young (50-80 years old) broadleaves throughout the block that were last thinned 10 years ago."
LEFT: Current areas of felling & thinning.The shaded area shows the current operations, mainly in the Lodge Inclosure, but with thinning extending down to the Goose Green and Abbott's Wood inclosures around Frith End too
RIGHT: Here Forest Enterprise have protected the path from becoming a mudbath by laying metal mats for the machines getting in to extract two huge windblown oaks near Kennels Pond
Further down the page you'll read how all this fits in with a new approach ,not just to managing Alice Holt as a whole, but specifically to timber production. As each coniferous block is clear felled it won't necessarily be simply replanted with more rows of pines or firs. Much will be allowed to regenerate naturally with native species, forming a fantastic mosaic of wildlife habitats. Although the timber will be of far less value, it is hoped that in the future a market for low grade wood for fuel develops (either for burning in power stations, or for fermentation into wood alcohol as a petrol substitute) this type of regenerated broadleaved woodland may be economic to harvest. Or at least it will prove to be no more unprofitable than planted conifers where, on average over the long term the Forestry Commission has historically lost money on every ton of timber sold.
Also: fair play to Forest Enterprise, some of the more regularly walked paths have been protected (at some expense) by laying metal matting to prevent heavy machinary from turning the ground into a "Battle of the Somme" style mudbath. This should surely be welcomed.
So please don't fret unduly when you see vast machinary slicing great chunks of Alice Holt down. It's all part of the healthy manangement of this varied woodland and will benefit both the visual appearance and wildlife value of the Forest before too long!
Plans to restore the Old Arboretum get underway. Public Walk around the site on 2nd SeptemberRichard Jinks of the Forestry Commission has been using his super-dooper GPS system to tag, record and digitally map every individual tree in the area of the Lodge Inclosure known as the Old Arboretum. With climate change happening, forest researchers are keen to understand how different species of tree are reacting to new environmental conditions. So these old collections of mature , exotic trees are incredibly valuable .
It's also widely felt that the area, which contains many beautiful specimen trees could be improved aesthetically and access to the more neglected and tangled areas upgraded by more active management. Richard has been working on ideas for a management plan for this part of Alice Holt . Kindly Richard has agreed to lead a walk around the site on Tuesday 2nd September at 5.30pm to show members of the public what sylvian riches lie hidden and what the area's potential is.
All are very welcome to attend to find out more, and with a view to getting the Community actively involved in the restoration project.
This is a great idea. And what a welcome turnaround from the old days of "We know best"!
Richard and Mr Williamson of Forest Enterprise South East are certainly making genuine efforts to restore the links between the Forest and the people who use it. So it would be great to see some enthusiastic public interest at this meeting. David Williamson commented "It is my hope that the rehabilitation of the Alice Holt Arboretum will form the basis of a joint project between the local community and the Forestry Commission and I am looking forward to the arboretum being restored to it's former glory."
Meet in the car park off Gravel Hill Road in time for the walk to get underway at 5.30pm. Wear suitable footwear.
Left: Part of the Old Arboretum, which the Forestry Authorities hope to restore to its former glory, both for its beauty, and as an important Reearch resource.
Right: one of the Foresters' Tags appearing on specimen trees in the Arboretum as they are recorded and mapped in the current survey.
A Bright Future for our ForestForest Enterprise, in a welcome drive to improve public understanding held a meeting back in October with local representatives to outline their vision of how the management of Alice Holt Forest will evolve over the coming years.
Stung a little by the furore that erupted over the Campsite application earlier this year, and all too aware that a certain level of mistrust exists between local residents and the Forestry authorities, FE's South Eastern Regional Director, Mr David Williamson and his colleagues recently hosted a meeting of local groups to discuss the future of the Forest. The Alice Holt Action Group's Chairman Colin Hall and www.aliceholt.org editor Patrick Butler were joined by representatives of Dockenfield, Bentley and Binsted parish councils, local landowners and East Hampshire District Councillor Ken Carter.
here's the Herald's report on the meeting
There was a follow up on 13th December. Here are a few of the highlights:
Preliminary results from the consultation survey undertaken about the Visitor Centre highlight that there are two main groups of people: those who come as destination visitors to Alice Holt and those who live nearby and use the Forest more "informally". The consultation was not considered to be exhaustive ,but it points towards going for higher quality and more varied facilities at the Vsitor Centre, not large-scale expansion. FE agrees that a) the "footprint" of the total Visitor Centre area will remain the same, with no expansion although a few barbecues will be provided in some existing clearings nearby. Within the main facility, there will be a rationalisation of the car park layout, so that the same space can accommodate up to 150 more cars, rather than expanding. But if that sounds a lot, FE is keen to fix a target limit on the number of visitors considered optimum, rather than planning to put ever more "bums on seats". To this end FE will get involved in the various forums to help plan for the growth in housing at Bordon as the Army vacates land for development, thereby seeking to ensure that the access and leisure needs of this growing population is accommodated in the surrounding countryside as a whole, not over-concentrated on Alice Holt.
Work will start soon on upgrading the loos and their overloaded sewage system . The Cafe will be improved too. And for disabled or younger visitors, who find the main walks too challenging, there will be a new circular route capable of taking walkers, cyclists, wheelchairs etc.
The Foresters have already started recording the trees in the Old Arboretum area, using a sophisticated new GPS system to map each individual specimen. This work should be complete by summer and a new Management Plan for this important resource will be forthcoming.(see above)
Kennels Pond (At the "crossroads" on the Bentley to Alice Holt Lodge path) is an area FE will look into. It was fenced to prevent the invasive Tasmanian Stonecrop waterweed Crassula helmsii from spreading on dogs' fur . Now the fence is partly broken down and FE will consider whether it should be re-fenced or if the weed problem is now over and the pond can once again be opened for public access
NOTE (11th August 2008) Sadly the infestation of Tasmanian Stonecrop (aka Australian Swampweed) has not gone away. The Foresters are looking into a suitably non-harmful herbicide which might be suitable to use in this situation but it's probably more a question of control than elimination of this rapidly spreading antipodean interloper. Until further notice the pond is off limits to dogs, fishermen etc and the fencing has been repaired. The pond's had a bit of a cleaning out too and is brim full following two wet years.
Kennels Pond in the Lodge Inclosure
Report from the First Meeting at Which Forest Enterprise Laid Out their Vision for the Future Management of Alice Holt
The Forest is now entering a period of quite extensive thinning and clear-felling. FE acknowledged that the arrival of machinary, the grading of forest tracks etc can alarm some forest users.Whilst understandably nervous of committing their already overstretched staff to endless rounds of public consultation & communication (They have no offical "PR" budget!), Mr Williamson did take the point that more public notice and better on-site explanatory materials would dispell many of the worries people feel when they see felling work starting. Hopefully they will make use of the willingness of parish magazines, newsletters, Parish Meetings and of course this website to give better pre-information about major forestry operations and to explain the background and context of the work they do.
With major felling & thinning going on in the Lodge & Holt Pound Enclosures, more informative notices explaining the reasons for management work would be welcome
There was plenty of good news at the meeting.
Good news #1 Mr Williamson accepted that the application for the Seasonal Campsite in the Lodge Enclosure had been something of a public relations disaster, that the application itself was flawed and that, in retrospect the scheme was an inappropriate usage of that part of the Forest. He was emphatic that the campsite scheme is now dead and buried and will NOT be revived.
Good News #2 FE's South East region, which is unique in the Forestry Commission in having a large proportion of its estate made up by Ancient Woodland sites (Rather than huge conifer plantations as in much of the North and West) has been in the vanguard of policy in working towards the gradual conversion of conifers to native broadleaved species. Today Alice Holt is approximately 50% broadleaves, 50% conifers. As the conifer crops mature, the majority will be felled and converted to native deciduous woodland, such that by 2050 the Forest will be around 80% broadleaf, and only 20% conifers.
Good News #3 FE's preferred method of converting to broadleaves is NOT to plant regimented lines of young oaks. Whilst there will be some planting, conversion will mainly happen by allowing natural regeneration to take its course, aided by leaving such broadleaved specimens as exist among todays Corsican Pines, European Larches and Western Red Cedars. There will be some natural regrowth of conifers from seed , but one only has to look at existing clearfelled sites to see how quickly our native "pioneer" species such as birch, willow, hazel, ash and rowan can take over a former conifer plantation. Due consideration will be given to maintaining champion and other specimen conifers which are valuable as much from an aesthetic viewpoint as for economic or conservation reasons
LEFT: Monolithic blocks of Corsican Pine are now being clear felled in Holt Pound Enclosure. It looks drastic in the short term. But natural regrowth RIGHT in the Lodge Enclosure has quickly created a varied and valuable wildlife habitat
Good News #4 It's true there's concern that ever-rising population in the South East, plus Government pressure on FE to hit policy targets for recreation provision will mean vistor numbers will go steadily upwards. However FE recognises that Alice Holt cannot and should not drift inexorably from "Forest to Theme Park". Further leisure-related facilities such as toilets, car parking, etc will be kept within the footprint of the existing Dockenfield Visitor Centre. The emphasis will be on upgrading and re-arranging the existing facilities to make most efficient use of the space on the site. No further developments of the scale of "Go Ape" are planned and FE wants to encourage a more even spread of visitors accross the seasons and days of the week, managing the peaks and troughs more effectively for example by charging different parking fees at weekends. Elsewhere in the Forest there are no plans for new toilets, car parks etc although FE may attempt to upgrade some of the trails ,encouraging visitors to venture further into the heart of the Forest from the main Dockenfield access point. FE acknowledges that Alice Holt ultimately has limits on what contribution it can make to the provision of countryside access and Mr Williamson's team hopes to work with its DEFRA masters to ensure that recreational planning is done in an integrated way accross the whole Forrestry Commission estate and hopefully also in conjunction with other bodies who control large tracts of green space, such as the Army. You can have your say about the future of the Visitor Centre...see the article on the home page.
Good News #5 FE is looking seriously at restoration of the Old Arboretum. Whilst there are some paradoxical questions to sort out (such as how removing native scrub to encourage exotic specimen trees squares with the Ancient Woodland character of the site) FE's colleagues from the Research arm of the Commission are planning a detailed inventory of the Arboretum's trees with a view to creating an new management plan for this valuable, but neglected resource.
Good News #6 A new Forest Design Statement is planned. This is the document which "captures" these policies and illustrates how they will be put into practice on the ground year by year, section by section. It will be around two years before the new plans are ready but it's a very open and transparent process; there will be full consultation with both stakeholders and the public at large. In the meantime the existing plans have been slightly modified in order to allow the accelerated conversion from conifers to broadleaves desibed in #2 above.Also the new Design Statemnt will not just take Alice Holt in isolation, but will be planned in a more integrated way, taking Alice Holt as part of a "landscape" level region, in conjunction with other woodlands in neigbouring areas of the Western Weald.
Good News#7 In the past the Forestry Commission (which is of course answerable to the Treasury) was under permanent pressure to maximise the economic return of its timber growing operations above all other considerations. Incredibly, factors such as conservation were allowed to "interfere" with maximising forestry output only to the tune of perhaps allowing a shortfall of 5% compared to the maximum expected return on investment. Now the logic has been reversed. FE decides how its properties should be best managed, balancing site-by site its four main objectives of conserving the environment, promoting the "people benefits" of forests via recreation, education etc, making an economic return and securing a sustainable future for forests. Only having decided how best to manage a forest to acheive the best balance of these four objectives, does FE then make hard commitments about the amount of timber it intends to produce from that Forest. It has to stick to these commitments in order to provide a degree of planned security for the sawmills, paper industry etc which all rely on predictable wood supplies. But the cart is no longer before the horse. Timber output is set to suit the best interests of the Forest. The management of the Forest no longer revolves around hitting maximum timber output targets.
Timber output quotas are now set at levels that are right for the Forest
So overall there are lots of positive trends coming from the Forest authorities nationally and specifically here in Alice Holt. Any downsides or words of warning?
On the whole not. Of course one as to remember that many of these fundamental policy shifts from the bad old days of "Maximum conifer productionn at any cost" are relatively recent, and doubtless not everyone in the FC is a deeply commited to this conversion as the team at Alice Holt. Plus governments and policies change a lot faster than trees grow, so there can never be a guarantee that U-turns won't happen.We only need to see what's happening in agriculture, where the benefits of years of "set aside" policy which has taken some of the pressure off our endangered farmland wildlife now risks being thrown away overnight due to short term rises in food prices. We need to remain vigilant and express our views when we don't like the way things are going.
Two possible concerns seem to me to exist....
Risk#1 By FE's own admission the process of natural regeneration from clear-feeled conifers to natural broadleaves will create a lot of economically marginal woodland. Whereas the Forestry Commission has a wealth of expertise in managing and utilising intensive conifer plantations, it has precious little experience of how best to work with a tangled scrub of birch and willow. Hopefully the demands of the emerging bio-fuel sector will provide an economic underpinning for this policy and the existing stocks of growing oak at Alice Holt will keep the books balanced for a good while yet. But if the finances don't add up in the eyes of shortsighted treasury officials, it could re-introduce pressure for more revenue, whether from old-style intensive timber growing of from even worse alternatives such as major land divestments or housing and leisure development.
Ten year old dense regrowth of native species (Birch, willow,ash and hazel) on a site clearfelled of conifers. Great for wildlife but will it pay the bills for Forest Enterprise in the future?
Risk#2 The other risk lies in the way in which FE interprets and balances the often contradictory policy imperatives of conservation of the environment and landscape versus catering to ever-increasing demands for leisure usage. If Governements want to interpret encouraging use of our open spaces purely in terms of "more bums on seats" then there will clearly be further damage to the character, quality and sense of place in this Ancient Royal Forest. One can only hope that enlightenment prevails and FE is not expected to simply pack more and more car-based visitors into what could become an ever more bland and dreary "Country Park" experience. The key seems to be in managing Alice Holt not in isolation, but as one, unique and valuable place in the context of many other green spaces which are (or could be made) publically accessible. FE needs to work with local authorities, the Army, private landowners, conservation bodies and the future South Downs National Park authorities and not take an unfair share of the pressure to provide mass recreation in this part of the crowded South East. In order to preserve a valuable experience for people (as well as wildlife) often "less is more".
There was a follow up meeting on December 13th...there will be a report on this page soon.
It's a shame FE decided to mow and grade such a large proportion of the rides in the Lodge enclosure in one "blitz". Make no mistake: the verges do have to be mown, in fact it's really beneficial for the diversity of the flora. These strips of "meadow" are full of interesting wild flowers in a varied matrix of grasses, sedges and rushes. As such , they are far more species-rich than a typical plot of lush, chemically treated agricultural grassland would be. The varied flora supports an upward food chain of butterflies, moths, grasshoppers and myriad other insects & invertebrates and the rides therefore are important habitats for toads, lizards , small mammals and so on. They compliment the trees as part of the ecological patchwork that makes up Alice Holt. Mowing keeps them from becoming too rank ,which would be bad for many of the more interesting species.
And they do have to be graded too to prevent the heavy mchinary turning them into quagmires. The result is none too pleasing, aesthetically. But that's only temporary and nature is already softening the newly scraped and bulldozed verges as plants spring up from the bank of seeds and roots. As with mowing : ground disturbance of this kind can benefit wild flowers in the long run
.
Graded rides:not a pretty site. They soon re-grow, but the timing of work could be improved.
The only problem is doing it all in one go and so early in the summer, when a great many flowers were just coming out and have not yet set seed.
It should also be acknowledged that the mowers did make an effort not to mow over the common spotted orchids which have become an increasing feature. In the ten years or so I've been walking in the Lodge, i've seen the original tiny patch of these delightful flowers spread and this year there were over 40 flowering spikes quite widely distributed along the main ride. A couple of the main clumps were saved but unfortunately most of the isolated flowers were destroyed, which is a pity as single orchids one year tend to form the nucleus of a patch which spready steadily but slowly in future years. It's a double pity as the previous re-tarmacing of the main path up from Bentley Station had already wiped out the entire stock of orchids that had slowly spread up from the "butterfly meadow" at the bottom of the hill.
FE sent me an extensive and carefully thought through response which is to be welcomed. FE were at pains to point out that they do take conservation of the rides seriously (Some of the best apparently have individual management plans) They stressed that mowing and scraping are ultimately beneficial for the vegetation, which I fully accept. But the essence of their response, regarding the large area that was done in one hit and the poor timing of the work they was argued mainly from the point of view of their own convenience. It had to be done in a tight time window to fit in with the major thinning and before the winter set in. This is not altogether convincing. I doubt delaying the work a bit would have made much practical difference to the ease of the operation after such a wet summer. And whilst the mowing has to be done first to prevent the grader clogging: why mow weeks before the grading, rather than leaving the mowing work as long as possible, giving the orchids in particular a chance to set seed? Especially if the available time window to do the work was so limited? If mowing had been done just before grading, it would have meant another month for the plants to drop their seeds..which would have made a significant difference.
Also FE's argue that, because rides are wider now than formerly, there is a buffer are of verge between the road and the forest edge which escapes scraping ,thus lessening the impact on the micro environment: in many cases that's sadly not true.
It's not our intention to use every opportunity to knock FE. But this does seem one instance where slightly better planning could have lead to a much better conservation outcome ,without interfering with the important business of harvesting timber, and with no extra cost. My personal opinion is "Six out of ten: some effort noted, could do more!"
Note: since this article was written, more rides have been mown: congratulations to FE for this time mowing the rides on a higher setting to clear the rough vegetation without scraping or destroying the turf
Another Note (8th Aug 2008) The Orchids did bloom again this year, although both their number and the distribution of the clumps was greatly reduced from last year, and many of the other interesting plants such as Wood Sage and Centaury are much thinner on the ground than last year. But no permanenet damage seems to have been done by this sorry episode
Changes to Boundaries of Proposed National Park
We wholeheartedly support the proposal to designate a large area of West Sussex and East Hampshire as the South Downs National Park.
We absolutely endorse the views of those who are dismayed by the shortsighted advice of DEFRA's Inspectors who have recommended that a large and internationally important area of the Western Weald (Accounting for some 40% of the originally proposed area) should be exluded from the park.This has had a lot of coverage in the press and on the net. To catch up on this see....
and author Bill Bryson's comments on the website of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England
We fully support the view that ,without the Western Weald ,the South Downs Park will be poorer and less meaningful.However we are also concerned with the exclusion of an area closer to home, which has received less publicity: namely the proposal to exclude the "Northern Hangers" : that is the Malmstone hills and their steep sided "Hanger" woods between Kingsley and Binsted. We also believe it was a mistake in the first place not to include Alice Holt; either the whole Forest, or at least the South Western section (Lodge, Goose Green, Straits and Abbott's Wood Enclosures which constitute the main area of landscape and wildlife value, outside the most heavily coniferised sections east of the A325.
See the proposed National Park and the Map of changes proposed to exclude the "Northern Hangers"
Our view is that the Norther Hangers is geologically and landscape-wise quite unique and provides a natural extention to any Park centred on the chalk hills of the South Downs. It forms the "cusp" of the horseshoe-shaped uplands which ring the Weald of Kent, Sussex and Surrey. This is the only extensive area of "Malmstone" a chalk-like limestone formation of the Lower Greensand. It's the soft white limestone you see cropping out of the banks of those deep-cut ancient lanes all around Binsted and the Worldhams, and forms the construction material for many of the most attractive old buildings in the area. The landscape is a rolling plateau bounded by short, but incredibly steep, almost cliff-like slopes or "hangers" most of which are wooded with ancient ash and hazel coppices. Just follow some of the footpaths on the scarp edge between Isington and Wheatley in spring to see the most tremendous displays of bluebells and wild garlic forming continuous masses of blooms!
Steep sided "secret" valleys cut into the plateau provide a haven for badgers, deer and buzzards (which were formerly extinct this far east but are now coming back strongly). Even Red Kites are starting to visit the area from their new strongholds further north and will hopefully settle down to breed once again, restoring the meaning of placenames such as "Kite's Hill" near Goose Green. The plateau top is fertile farming country and there is a threat over most of the arable land from increasing intensification, as witnessed by the severe soil erosion now affecting parts of the plateau around Wyck and Binsted. Many of our once common farmland birds which have declined so drastically such as Skylarks, Turtle Doves, Grey (English) Partridges, Lapwings and Yellowhammers are still breeding here and deserve the protection from excessive intensification that a sensitive National Park regime would bring.
Acknowledgements to Stubbs Farm
Alice Holt of course is home to many nationally and internationally threatened species including those bugs, mosses ,fungi and so on which we laymen may not notice but which are vital pieces in the ecological jig-saw of an Ancient Woodland eco-system. Higher profile rarities are the Hobbies, Nightjars , Dormice and other "Red List" endangered species which breed in the Forest.
And of course the are is rich in history and archaeological remains from the campsites of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Stone Age hunters around Kingsly , to the nationally important Roman pottery kilns of Alice Holt and Binsted.
DEFRA was keen to publicise the South Downs Park proposals, rightly thinking it would prove popular; not with everyone but with the majority who live in and around the area. They have been less keen to engage the public in some of the finer details and many in the area are unaware of the proposal to exclude our local heritage from the strict levels of protection which National Park status bestows.
Furthermore there is much evidence that once a National Park is in place, with it's stringent planning restrictions, there is an inevitable drift the other way in the immediately surrounding areas: with Planners feeling they need to "balance" off the National Park restrictions by easing up on other areas. That will create pressure for East Hampshire District Council to allow more housing, more changes of use of land and buildings from rural to "semi-suburban" purposes and Forest Enterprise will once again be under pressure to cater to mass, car-based leisure in Alice Holt, diverting the worst pressures off the National Park and into a facility which is already close to saturation.
So if you have views on whether the Kingsley-Binsted "Norther Hangers" or Alice Holt Forest should go back into the National Park, why not send an e-mail to Rt Hon. Hilary Benn MP H.M. Secretary of State who heads DEFRA or to these other politicians: MPs, MEPs, Environment Spokesmen and local Prospective Parliamentary Candidates from all parties: all of whom have a connection with the area or with environmental issues.
So far we've had an official response from Chris Huhne MP (Lib Dem Environment Spokesman & leadership contender) who's Westminster office issued this statement: "We have made extensive representations to the Minister objecting to the proposed boundary changes and Chris Huhne MP will continue to work with the South Downs Campaign to try to get the inspectors' recommendation reversed. Chris recently went to see some of the land that is proposed to be excluded and is very keen that this does not happen - we await the results of the consulation."
And North East Hants MP James Arbuthnot contacted us too to say that he has written to Jonathan Shaw , the Minister for Marine, Landscape and Rural Affairs and the Minister for the South East in DEFRA. Mr Arbuthnot, together with fellow local Conservative MP Michael Mates is setting up a meeting with Mr Shaw's boss, Secretary of State Hilary Benn to discuss the issue further,
Hampshire CPRE sent a message of support too saying they are doing everything they can to lobby politicians of all parties before the boundaries are finally fixed, and Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP for the South East has lent her support to the South Downs Campaign too
The Campaign to Protect Rural England and the South Downs Campaign have organised an online petition to the Prime Minister which you can take part in at
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/western-weald/
Take Four Artists : An Exhibition at Alice Holt Research Station Social Club
Those who've seen Mike Young's outstanding
wildlife photos on this site had an opportunity to view or purchase framed
copies of some of his best pictures when he, his wife Sharon and two other
talented artisits held their Christmas Art Exhibition on the 23-25th November.
It was a bitterly cold sunny weekend and plenty of the people who dropped
in were glad of a warm and welcoming refuge, where they enthusiastically
viewed the artists' work, very professionally displayed, while enjoying
a complimentary glass of wine and a mince pie. As to the differing talents
of those whose work was on show:
Mike Young (Photographer)
Mike’s love for photography began as a teenager and developed over
the years, as time became more available once his children had grown up.
He attained his Associateship with the RPS in 1992 with a pictorial panel
of black and white prints. Mike has worked as a professional photographer
for various newspapers, shooting sport and special events. In recent years
Mike has specialised photographing wildlife: his other passion.
His work has been widely published in a number of magazines and can also
be seen on the his new website (see link on home page) . He has several
pieces in private collections, worldwide
.
Nuthatch (c) Mike Young
Sharon Young (Mixed media artist) Sharon has always had a strong desire to create something different. To begin with this took the form of clothes and practical things. When she took an art foundation course at the advanced age of forty something she discovered the delights of creating the bizarre and useless. However this was short lived, as when she started a fashion and textile degree and trained to be a printed textile designer she found it to be an all-together much more serious objective.The exhibition of her work reflected her on going creative journey and her continuing search for new ways of expressing what she sees around her. Sharon too has her own website (linked from our home page)
Mike and Sharon live in the heart of Alice Holt Forest near the Alice Holt Lodge
Mask
(c) Sharon Young
Shirley Stephens (Lino printing) Shirley has been a printmaker for many years, mostly specialising in the medium of lino. Her subjects are often quirky images of birds and animals in bold designs, many inspired by African and Indian traditional art. Shirley has exhibited in the Farnham area including the Surrey Artists Open Studios events, and currently has work for sale at a gallery in Brighton. She also has several pieces in private collections.
Animal (c) Shirley
Stephens
Melanie Pickard (Mixed media artist) If Melanie were to suggest a theme for her work then it would be ‘balance and reflection’. She is interested in the possibility of improving ones sense of well being through positive resonance, being uplifted in the presence of beauty, a beauty which comes from the heart, that allows you to be still for a moment. Knowing this stillness lies within is a blessing indeed.Melanie has exhibited in Brighton and the Alton area and has several pieces in private collections. She is currently studying for a BA Honours in Fine Art at the University College for the Creative Arts.
Abstract (c) Melanie Pickard
Send details of news and stories to be publicised to info@aliceholt.org