Amy Croome reports on a new community woodlands project Most of us like to spend a little time outdoors. Fresh air, peace and quiet, the sunlight in the […]By Waltham Forest Echo

Amy Croome reports on a new community woodlands project

Pimp Hall Nature Reserve, Chingford

Most of us like to spend a little time outdoors. Fresh air, peace and quiet, the sunlight in the trees. It’s good for our health and it’s free.

But what do we actually know about the nature around us and how much do we engage with it when we sit on a park bench or go for a walk?

The Hornbeam Centre is working on a community woodlands project in Pimp Hall Nature Reserve, Chingford, that goes a step further – engaging in and learning about our natural habitats.

By 20th February – when the project culminates in a ‘woodlands parade’ – there will be a downloadable audio tour of the nature reserve; QR codes to scan on your smartphone and give you information about what you are looking at; a beehive by the newly-planted wildflower meadow; cameras in bird and bat boxes; and even a weather station.

The feed from the wildlife cameras and the weather station will go into an interactive website allowing you to see things you couldn’t otherwise, such as bats feeding, birds hatching and soil acidity.

The audio tour of the nature reserve will guide you through the site, highlighting specific species, how they interact with other plants and animals around them, giving historic fun facts about the Dovecote building and Lord Pympe, a farmer who lived on the site in the 16th century.

For more information on the community woodlands project:

Visit www.hornbeam.org.uk/events/learning-lodge

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