Woods on your Doorstep took place between 1996 and 2001 - some communities have therefore already celebrated their wood's 10th anniversary.
Island Pond Wood in Launton, Oxfordshire is one such community group. A much-loved and well-used woodland, the Friends of Island Pond Wood has some great celebration ideas for their community celebration which were a real success on the day.
Held on a bright sunny Saturday in mid-September, the group organised a range of activities for local people to enjoy. These included:
An organised celebratory walk around the site in the morning to let people enjoy and appreciate the wood for themselves. Invitations to the event had been sent in advance to local dignitaries and the Bicester Town Mayor, James Porter, led the walk alongside Simon Turner, the Launton Parish Council Chairman. Joining the 60 people on the walk was also the Launton Pantomine Giant – a much-loved and distinctive local character, bringing other local traditions into the celebration event.
An exhibition about the wood on display in the Parish Hall. This was attended by 120 local people on the day and featured photographs showing how Island Pond Wood had changed over the past 10 years. Photographs showcased milestones in the wood’s history such as the original planting, the Golden Jubilee celebrations and local management work right up to the present day – a fantastic way to show what a difference the wood had made to the local environment and what it meant to local people. Activities also included a photographic competition on the theme of ‘the beauty of woodland'.
Displays by the Launton Village Primary School and the 1st Launton Brownies. Inviting local schools and youth groups to help provide entertainment is good way to get more people involved and turning up on the day.
The cutting and sharing of a special Island Pond Wood anniversary cake – designed and iced in the shape of the wood, complete with little icing ducks!
The day was a great success which ran smoothly. The Friends of Island Pond Wood also used the 10 year celebration to launch their new logo, and a second edition of the book ‘Island Pond Wood, Launton’. This lovely book recounts the history of the woodland up to the present day, recording the Launton woodland creation story in an imaginative and enduring way.
Written with thanks to Maureen Roberts