SOCCT 2017 Summer Fundraising
Help Please
Greetings all copse users including those whose dogs enjoy walking in these ancient woods. Thank you for your attention.
SOCCT 2017 Summer Fundraising
Table of Contents
As you are probably aware, the Sparrowgrove and Oakwood copses are owned by SOCCT, a charity run by volunteers to allow access for the local community. In order to keep these copses as an open community resource, we need to ensure that they are as safe to use as possible. This entails from time to time examining the trees to flag up when any tree surgery is required. Tree surgery costs serious money despite the tree surgeons sometimes doing work for less than they might otherwise charge bearing in mind our charity status.
Following work recently to clear climbers and other vegetation to enable inspection of the trees, we found that a substantial amount of work is necessary. This has been costed at £7,000.
We are going ahead with the work that is considered to be urgent but there is some preventative work that also needs to be done. If we are unable to do this work, we may have to deny access to the public for safety reasons at some point in the not too distant future.
Matching Funds needed
We need more funds in order to complete this work and therefore we are asking people who enjoy the copses to make donations for this purpose. We are applying for grants to help but we have to match them. If you wish to continue enjoying the copses, now is the time to chip in and help us. We have gift aid which increases the value of your donation by at least 25%. To donate, please look on our website http://www.socct.org or contact Wendy Doherty on 01962 714786 leaving your contact details and we will get back to you.
Sparrowgrove and Oakwood Copse Conservation Trust is a company limited by guarantee.
Registered in England and Wales No. 06602967.
Charity Reg no. 1125903 Registered office: 14 Sparrowgrove, Otterbourne, Winchester. SO21 2DL
(Kerrin, Dave, Colin B, Wendy, Colin H, Vicki, Mike and John)
Where are Sparrowgrove Woods and Oakwood Copse?
They are wooded areas either side of the boundary between the parishes of Compton & Shawford and Otterbourne.
They are particularly beautiful when the bluebells are in bloom, normally in late April.
When Southern Water decided to sell off areas of woodland that it owned, they were bought by a community trust set up by local residents to preserve them for the enjoyment of future generations.
See the Open Spaces map on this website and click on Sparrowgrove.
Update 14 July 2017
At the meeting of Compton & Shawford Parish Council on Tuesday 11 July 2017, the Council awarded SOCCT a grant of £3325 to assist with essential safety work. The attached photograph shows the cheque being presented by Councillor Bob Jordan to SOCCT trustee Kerrin Qualters.
(Information provided by David Drake, Clerk to C&S PC; photo by Cllr Martin Bell)