ANDOVER TREES UNITED TO UPGRADE THE DIAMOND WOOD

Andover Trees United (ATU) is proud to announce that, with the completion of the lease transfer for the whole wood at the end 2022 and associated England Woodland Grant Scheme Funds, we are now in a position to make some much needed upgrades to the Diamond Wood.

The Diamond Wood was formed in 2012 as part of the late Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. 60, 60-acre woodlands were created across the country and Andover’s Diamond Wood forms 44 acres of the Hampshire 60. 

Andover Trees United, a community organisation focusing on environmental conservation education and the originator of the Diamond Wood project, was initially allocated 12 acres to plant and manage as  community woodland. Over 10 years 2012-2022, the group supported 10,000 children from local schools to plant what is now known as ‘Harmony Woods’ with 10,000 trees. Hampshire County Council contracted out the rest of the planting, with ATU looking after it from then onwards. 

By the end of 2022, the lease to manage the whole site had been transferred to Andover Trees United, along with the corresponding England Woodland Grant Scheme Funds. This will allow the Charity to bring much needed improvements and aid responsible access to the wood in the form of waymarked paths and information boards.

This Earth Day!

Earth Day is an international annual event on April 22nd to demonstrate support for environmental protection. This year, ATU is excited to announce that they are working with National Geographic Learning Team on the long overdue upgrade to the Diamond Wood! The team will be working together with ATU’s regular Volunteer Conservation Team to put in sign posts to help visitors know which permissive paths to use. This will help to reduce the soil erosion that is taking place at the bottom (eastern) end of the Wood, protecting the plant and animal life that lives there.

Diamond Wood Upgrade!

Andover Trees United has plans to protect and improve  biodiversity across the whole Diamond Wood over the next few years. We aim to help our visitors to access the woodland responsibly to conserve the nature that calls the wood home. The single Right of Way (RoW), the East Anton sports field/Smannell footpath, that crosses the wood will not be affected, but there are several permissive paths that will be changing over the coming months, with new signage to help visitors to find their way. 

And signage is just the beginning! ATU will be working hard to transform the eastern end to create a brand new chalk grassland meadow starting next year, 2025! Spanning a 3-year project, there will be numerous community events that will inform, encourage participation and allow the community to enjoy the space. We will also be holding expert talks, community arts, fundraising, wildflower seed sowing and planting events. Look out for more information on all of this in the local press and on our website, where you can subscribe to our monthly newsletter - ideal for keeping fully up-to-date.