ARC CIC have been supported by the MLWW programme, receiving advice on woodland management, fundraising, ecotherapy and well-being matters. Hannah joined them for a day to find out more about the beneficial outcomes of their activities.
The MLWW team enjoyed a recent visit to Sylva to learn about their operations as an charity, bringing trees and people together. We took a look at their new teaching barn, visited their hub which is home to a range of small wood-based organisations, and heard all about their useful online tools.
Read an account of Inspired Neighbourhoods CIC's study visit - funded by MLWW - from Bradford to Knoydart to learn about the green challenges facing the most remote, community-owned peninsular in the UK.
The Half Acre is a tiny smallholding project growing veg, keeping chickens for eggs and pigs for meat, and selling homemade produce from a barrow on the footpath; but our plan is to extend this to provide ‘work alongside’ opportunities .....
We're also delighted to finally show off our wonderful illustration capturing some of the key learning from the Delivering green care day. We were joined by an artist and illustrator .....
By the time the Making Local Woods Work team arrived at Tickenham Village Hall before 9am last Thursday the whole place was a hive of activity. Adrian Brooks and his team from Brown Rock Woodlands, our hosts for the day, had .....
More than two and a half years through Making Local Woods Work we have been consistently impressed with the innovation and entrepreneurialism shown by the woodland social enterprises we’ve worked with. Be it novel wood products, pioneering health or educational services, or simply new ways of marketing familiar products to pave the way to new customers, woodland social enterprises keep surprising us. This is a message that those of us involved in this sector need to get out to those in the wider worlds from which woodland social enterprises need support and understanding. Norman Dandy, Making Local Woods Works Project Manager, recently contributed an article to the Quarterly Journal of Forestry, published by the Royal Forestry Society, in which he laid out some of the project’s activities and experiences.
It was an inauspicious start from the Plunkett Foundation carpark at 6:30am one cold March morning following the twin phenomena of the Beast from the East and Storm Emma....
We’ve a brand new short film out highlighting the work of ARC-CIC. Based in a small urban woodland in Leamington Spa this film focuses on their Ecotherapy work and the impact the woodland has on the local community.
Our partner Grown in Britain runs a scheme which coordinates volunteers (from the construction industry) to assist in woodland projects around the country. If you're looking for specialist assistance to support with woodland management ...
Following on from our finance event in November we are making available the presentations from our speakers, as well as additional resources including a short film, to help groups considering their options for generating income and achieving sustainability. It was a really valuable day packed with learning and networking and we would like to thank all those who attended.
We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Its been an exciting year for many of our projects and for MLWW itself. We look forward to keeping up the momentum with lots more advice events and support for ...
We were excited to have a flurry of media activity over the past month as our collaboration with a media agency put the social impact of woodland social enterprise into the headlines. Research carried out ...
Thanks to all who attended our Making Local Woods Pay event in late November at Hill Holt Wood. It was an inspiring day bringing together current MLWW participant groups with other woodland social enterprises, both established and emerging...
Visit to Exeter Biochar Retort and Axewoods Cooperative
For quite some time I have been fascinated by biochar – I thought it was some wonder material that could save our soils. Biochar is, in fact, a mixture of charcoal (carbon) and some form of biological material (nitrogen) for example compost or even donkey poo! ...
Be inspired: Adding value with non timber forest products
As the leaves on the trees change colour, the arrival of Autumn means it is time to gather berries, mushrooms and nuts. The woodlands have abundance and value beyond timber and Dyfi Woodlands is developing ways in which to add value to both the social and commercial activities ...
This is Eigg ...
Making Local Woods Work (MLWW) is working with 11 groups and enterprises across Scotland, helping to develop and implement their plans for using local forest resources to benefit the local community. One of these is the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust (IEHT) and here Chris Marsh of Community Woodlands Association ...
For those of you who missed out on the October conference, and those who would like to reminisce, there is a new blog post on the event up at Llais y Goedwig, from representatives at Dyfi Woodlands and Coetir Mynydd.