ABOUT US

orchid800MED

Bringing the landscape back to life

Since 2007 we have been working to conserve the Wyre Forest and its variety of habitats, including its species rich wildflower meadows, traditional orchards and wood pasture.

We work in close partnership with the Guild of St George, Natural England, Forestry England, Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, The Woodland Trust, Butterfly Conservation and local landowners.

Our team of around 40 dedicated volunteers help us carry out important conservation work and care for our herd of 50 pedigree Dexter cattle that carry out an extensive conservation grazing programme.

ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY

MARGARET TUNSTALL

MARGARET TUNSTALL

Operations Manager

DEBBIE BLADES

DEBBIE BLADES

Office Manager & Company Secretary

SALLY PENDERGAST

SALLY PENDERGAST

Farm & Land Manager

KATE QUINTON

KATE QUINTON

Community and Volunteer Officer (Maternity Leave)

DAISY HAYWOOD

DAISY HAYWOOD

Volunteer & Community Development Officer

MATT COPEMAN

MATT COPEMAN

Volunteer & Community Development Officer

RICHARD CHANNING

RICHARD CHANNING

Woodyard Manager

SEE WHAT WE’RE DOING ON INSTAGRAM

wyreclt

Our volunteers have been busy bees this week, maki

Our volunteers have been busy bees this week, making solitary bee hotels. Solitary bees aren’t like honeybees that live in hives. As their name suggests, they make their nests on their own and lay their eggs in tunnels, such as in dead wood or hard soil. The frames of these bee hotels were made by our woodwork volunteers, then they were filled by our Ruskin Land volunteers, and they’ll be installed on site by our conservation volunteers. What a team effort! The bee hotels, along with various other wildlife boxes we make, are available to order. Email info@wyreclt.org.uk for more information. #wildlifebox #beehotel #solitarybee #wyreforest #volunteers

Bewdley School A-Level Film Studies students made

Bewdley School A-Level Film Studies students made this short film for us to help share our story and promote our work. It was wonderful to work with a group of local talented young people and give them an opportunity to gain some creative work experience with us. #wyreforest #filmstudents #shortfilm #bewdleyschool #workexperience

It’s a beautiful blue-sky frosty autumnal mornin

It’s a beautiful blue-sky frosty autumnal morning in Ruskin Land today, and the WCLT team are gearing up for another busy week of work #mondaymotivation #wyreforest #autumn #woods

Yesterday, the Frank Chapman Outdoor Centre team s

Yesterday, the Frank Chapman Outdoor Centre team spent a relaxing morning in the workshop with us, learning green woodwork techniques and carving their own spatulas. The Frank Chapman Centre are just a stone’s throw away from us in the Wyre Forest, and it was great to get to know the staff a bit better. If you’re interested in having your own corporate team away day with us, get in touch: info@wyreclt.org.uk or 01299 488083. ⠀
⠀
#teamawayday #corporatepackage #greenwoodwork #wyreforest #frankchapmancentre

We’ve sold lots of tickets for our course progra

We’ve sold lots of tickets for our course programme next year, since we announced the launch of our new Ruskin Club a few weeks ago. Make sure you don’t miss out, and book your place today. An annual membership and gift vouchers are also available, for those of you thinking about Christmas presents for friends and family. All details are available on our website: https://wyreclt.org.uk/come-on-a-course/ ⠀
⠀
#wyreforest #heritagecrafts #conservation #buylocal #courses

We were delighted to be commissioned by @jameswild

We were delighted to be commissioned by @jameswildshropshire to make bespoke serving tables for their dessert menu. Wild Shropshire restaurant is based in Whitchurch, Shropshire and are hugely supportive of local and seasonal produce. The serving tables were hand crafted by our team of woodwork volunteers, using sustainably harvested Ruskin Land oak. ⠀
https://www.wildshropshire.net/ #buylocal #woodwork #wyreforest

Our woodwork volunteers have been busy in the work

Our woodwork volunteers have been busy in the workshop, making products ready for some of the Christmas craft fairs we have coming up. All our woodwork products are made from oak that we harvest from Ruskin Land. If you’re looking for a unique Christmas present for a loved one, why not get in touch? We’re always happy to make bespoke products to order. #wyreforest #shoplocal #woodwork #volunteers

At the weekend, we welcomed members of the Worcest

At the weekend, we welcomed members of the Worcestershire Young Archaeologists Club to Ruskin Land, and explored the historic industries and crafts of the Wyre Forest. We made charcoal on an open fire, made beesom brooms from birch twigs, and peeled bark like they used to do for the leather tanning industry. At the end of the session, the children drew pictures with their charcoal, imagining scenes from the Wyre Forest 200 hundred years ago. ⠀
#woodland #wyreforest #heritagecrafts #youngarchaeologists

We’ve moved some of our cows on to an area of he

We’ve moved some of our cows on to an area of heathland within Ruskin Land. The conservation grazing will help tackle some of the build up of woody regeneration and vegetation that would otherwise comprise the heather habitat. ⠀
#heathland #conservationgrazing #wyreforest #dextercattle

Tomorrow, we are going to be at the Rock Village H

Tomorrow, we are going to be at the Rock Village Hall Fundraising Fair, 2-4pm. We’ll have some of our products on sale (perfect for Christmas presents!), as well as information about our volunteering opportunities and craft courses. Come along and say hi to our team! ⠀
⠀
#shoplocal #wyreforest #rockvillagehall

We have just launched our course programme for 202

We have just launched our course programme for 2022, just in time for those thinking of what to get their loved ones for Christmas. Our new ‘Ruskin Club’ will provide a series of taster workshops in craft and nature conservation skills, and will be held once a month on a Saturday morning at St George’s Farm. Gift vouchers are available, as well as an annual membership.⠀
⠀
For more information, visit our website: https://wyreclt.org.uk/come-on-a-course/ ⠀
⠀
#wyreforest #ruskin #craftcourses #naturecourses

Mushroom Monday! We’ve been loving spotting all

Mushroom Monday! We’ve been loving spotting all the fungi dotted around the woodland and farm at this time of year. Check out the size difference of these two! #fungi #wyreforest #mushroom

If you’re in Bewdley tomorrow evening, you’ll

If you’re in Bewdley tomorrow evening, you’ll hear the bells of St Anne’s Church ringing at 6pm. This is part of the Church of England’s ‘Ring out for Climate’, ahead of the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, starting the following day. The Wyre Forest Green Alliance is inviting everyone to join them tomorrow evening, and be part of Bewdley’s call for climate action. For more information, visit: https://buff.ly/2Zv5Wd3 ⠀
⠀
#cop26 #climatechange #ringoutforclimate #wyreforest

We’re delighted to announce that we have just be

We’re delighted to announce that we have just been awarded funding from Worcestershire County Council @yourworcestershire. The grant will fund our supported volunteering programmes for those whose mental wellbeing has been impacted as a result of the COVID pandemic. The grant is administered by Worcestershire Community Foundation, which supports charities and voluntary organisations across the county https://www.worcscf.org.uk/ ⠀
⠀
#socialprescribing #naturetherapy #wellbeing #wyreforest #worcestershire #covid

As part of our Green Recovery Challenge funded pro

As part of our Green Recovery Challenge funded project with the @WoodlandTrust, we are creating a series of deadwood habitat piles to support local wildlife. This is a picture of a vertical deadwood habitat pile, which one of our volunteer groups made last week. Vertical piles are especially valuable habitats for stag beetles, as by burying sections of the logs underground, the wood remains damp and undisturbed, creating the ideal conditions for stag beetles to lay their larvae in.⠀
⠀
#stagbeetle #habitatpiles #conservation #deadwood #wyreforest

This week, we took our apples (two trailer loads f

This week, we took our apples (two trailer loads full!) to get pressed. Local family business, Son & Styles, based at Lower Blackstone Farm on Stourport Road, scrat, press and bottle our apple juice for us. We’re excited to taste how the juice turns out from this year’s harvest! #localbusiness #applejuice #wyreforest #localfood #heritageapples #traditionalorchards

Ruskin Land is being featured at the UK Universiti

Ruskin Land is being featured at the UK Universities’ Climate Innovation Showcase as part of the 26th UNFCCC Conference of the Parties @COP26UK being held in Glasgow next month. The research project, being run by the University of Birmingham @unibirmingham Institute of Forest Research @biforuob, is exploring how fantasy fiction can engage people imaginatively with actual forests, and therefore encourage positive action on the ecological and climate crises. For more information, visit this website: https://buff.ly/3vysk0Y ⠀
⠀
#climatechange #cop26 #ruskinland #forestecology #fantasyfiction #wyreforest

Here’s Primrose, who was born in April, enjoying

Here’s Primrose, who was born in April, enjoying the autumnal sunshine with her mum, Heather. Look how much she has grown in just six months! Primrose will mostly be grazing on grass now, but will still take milk from her mum now and then until she’s around 1 years old. By not forcing early weening on our calves, our cows are able to form strong family bonds with each other, plus continue to benefit from their mum’s nutritious milk! #dextercattle #wyreforest #conservationgrazing

Across the UK, 90% of traditional orchards have be

Across the UK, 90% of traditional orchards have been lost since the 1950s. Orchards support a huge variety of wildlife – today, whilst picking apples, we saw a green woodpecker, lots of fungi, and all sorts of spiders. The sales from our Ruskin Land apple juice help fund our work in conserving and managing the Wyre Forest’s rich orchard and fruit heritage #wyreforest #orchard #heritageapples #applejuice #conservationvolunteers

Taking the cows for a walk. ⠀ ⠀ Some of the si

Taking the cows for a walk. ⠀
⠀
Some of the sites which we graze aren’t accessible by vehicle, so when we need to move the cows on, the only way is by foot. And if they need any encouragement, a bucket of windfall apples does the trick! ⠀
⠀
#conservationgrazing #dextercattle #wyreforest

Load More... Follow on Instagram

Join us to receive news from the forest!

For more information about what we do or to enquire about our products events and courses, call us on

01299 488083

or email us: info@wyreclt.org.uk

St Georges Farm
Tanners Hill
Bewdley
DY12 2LS

WCLT is grateful for LEADER funding that has supported forestry machinery and new timber storage buildings.