Blog

Leaving Tbilisi and climbing into the mountains this morning seemed to take no time at all.

Raef Johnson was awarded a bursary to join a two week trip to Georgia with the International Dendrology Society. Dendrology is the study of the natural history of trees and woody plants.

We’ve finally stopped planning and started putting in our new play plans for Silk Wood.

It’s that time of year again unbelievably – the week before Westonbirt’s first Live Music concert weekend when it’s all hands on deck to get the site ready for thousands of music fans.

If you’ve been a visitor to Westonbirt these last few weeks you might be surprised to see the cutting and removal of quite a few Rhododendron ponticum plants whilst in full bloom.

In my last blog entry I talked about how I was busy planning the 3rd Wedding Open Day in a different format. I wasn’t sure how successful it would be and promised to let you know.

Last week we finally managed to make some time to look at examples of other Forestry Commission projects.

March has arrived and for the first time since any of us can remember, the trauma of our January renewals is over already!...

You will see from Monday (7th March) contractors on site by the mini roundabout starting Phase 1 of the Westonbirt Project.

Busy planning the 3rd Wedding Open Day on Saturday 19 March. Trying a different format this year as we want to promote Westonbirt Arboretum as a really special venue for Civil Ceremonies and partnerships.

Not the best week at Westonbirt, as the staff have been consulted on the Public Forest Estate debate and the restructuring within the Forestry Commission which will affect our colleagues here quite severely.

It has been decided by those who must be obeyed that FOWA is to be dragged kicking and screaming into the world of blogging. An introductory lesson showed that some people have high hopes that we shall enter into this world with gusto.

I ran out of time in my blog entry the other day, so I couldn’t jabber on to you about the Planning Inspector’s verdict on the Welcome Building design itself.

If champagne, caviar and fois gras was on the Maples menu last Friday, the Project team would have been over there tucking in. We heard our appeal result from the Planning Inspectorate, and it was positive.

Over the past two weeks I have been volunteering here at Westonbirt Arboretum as part of my Applied Geography course at Bournemouth University.