AGENDA 11[th] May 2025 Welcome Chairs Report including summary of year- Kristie Finance report – Dan Resignation/Election of new Trustees (Sarah, renewal for Kath, Kristie, Dan), any new? What’s coming up – Heather or Kath Q&A Chair Report – April 2024 – end March 2025 Welcome and thank you everyone for coming. I’m Kristie Naimo - Chair of Friends of Foundry Wood - joined today by a number of our FoFW Trustees and Steering Group – say hello. There are 10 of us now. We meet every 2 months – either in the woods or nearby indoors in winter – to discuss ideas, projects, ongoing woodland care-taking and maintenance of the wood. Continue to run and manage a greatly appreciated asset for Leamington and Warwick – and entirely run by volunteers and this organisation wouldn’t run without you! - The Steering Group are all volunteers - Volunteers who open and close the gates each day - Volunteers run our monthly volunteer mornings - Volunteers deliver many (although not all) of our sessions such as wildlife monitoring (bird, butterfly, mammal watch etc) The **Sidings** – more work – esp on clearing the Silver Birch at far end to open up. Also finally installed a railway boundary marker post that was found on the woodland site way back in 2012.Badger set continues to be occupied by foxes (videos on website) and other interesting plants. As the signage shows - NOT intending open all the time due to sensitive nature of site but we do open up on volunteer days and other occasions – like today! **Wildlife Camera** continues to record evidence of activities in the wood – you can see lots of posts with videos and pictures on our website – we’ve seen badgers, foxes, muntjac deer, hedgehog! We occasionally have groups come and help with larger projects in the wood – this past year we’ve welcomed A Band of Brothers (a charity providing mentoring and support for men in the criminal justice system) who did some great work clearing buddleia and silver birch on The Sidings. As well as removing the Willow Tunnel which had become very overgrown and woody. Another group we’ve been hosting since last summer is Year 10 girls from local Kingsley school – Friday afternoon volunteering. They’ve helped maintain the wood – including starting to replant the willow tunnel! **Green Flag** awarded once again and one of our Trustees Sarah was able to attend the Award ceremony at nearby Coombe Abbey Continue woodland maintenance – coppicing hazel in rotation you will have noticed. As per woodland management plan we will continue Received generous donation from PerTemps – unrestricted funds which Dan will talk more about **Challenges** in past year: Some issues with tap at the entrance leaking and being over charged for water use – dealing with that and aim to have new standpipe Annual external playground inspection keeps us on track (As well as our woodland management plan) No major vandalism but always keeping an eye out for any issues **Upcoming events in the wood** Foundry wood continues to be a well used community resource and there is something taking place nearly every day of the week! **Mondays** (from tomorrow!) a new Forest School group (largely aimed at home educated children) – called Closer look at Nature **Tuesdays** - Wellbeing in Nature for adults, run by ARC who co-manage the site and have the leases of the land and with Network Rail on The Sidings **Weds** – Singing for Joy in the morning followed by a children’s storytelling group in the afternoon (Magical World of Stories) **Fridays** – Muddy Puddles mini Forest schools in the morning Alongside this we have regular monthly volunteer mornings (last Sunday of each month), pizza making days in the summer, adhoc school and after school groups (like brownies, cubs etc) visits. And sometimes seasonal evening events around the full moon or solstice. Many of these are organised by other groups and individuals – so not all delivered by The Friends of Foundry Wood! **Coming up in 2025** - we welcome back the fabulous **Mikron** Theatre who will be performing one of their season’s shows – HUSH (about Bletchly park) – Sat 9[th] August - At the end of August we’ll likely have a stall at **EcoFest** in the Pump Room Gardens – Sat 30[th] August - In September we welcome Warwickshire Mammal Group to do their annual **mammal monitoring** Sat 6[th] Sept and that evening we have **Swedes in the trees** again – an electronic music dance evening run by a local group of musicians! Plus more events added throughout the year – keep an eye on the website and newsletter **Woodland Maintenance** – we review our woodland maintenance plan every year. Again the latest one can be found on the website. Coming up this year you might notice that we start to clear some areas of the very dense hawthorn that dominates the wood . This is with a view to letting a little more light into the understory and possibly re-planting with more variety of tree species. Small areas to start with so not a dramatic impact on what is a very small woodland space! Plans for the **pond** – more pond plants to be purchased this year and once again we’ve observed a healthy newt population – and noticed more pond snails this year! The pond sign will also be updated at some point. No further planting or development of **The Sidings** – other than possibly putting a bench in at the far end. Detailed review of The Sidings to be undertaken at the next Steering Group meeting in the summer. We encourage you to come visit Foundry Wood in the coming year! **----- Start of picture text -----**
April 24 Position Draft Annual Expenditure
Balance £11,075.07
Annual Play area maintainence £ 115.00
Income Amount Expert talks £ 75.00 858.11 local giving
Grants Free events expenditure £ 100.00 15.15 easy
Donations- Local Giving & Easy Fundraising £873.26 Leaflets & Signs £ 300.00 873.26
Donations- One offs/Cheques £10,168.94 Outreach - entertainment £ 110.00 1108.94 Coop
Bank interest £0.00 Severn Trent £ 200.00 9000 pertemps
Tools etc £ 100.00 60 kristie
Income £11,042.20 Tree surgery £ 1,000.00 10168.94
Outgoings Amount Website maintainence £ 120.00
Local giving costs £180.00 Local Giving costs £ 180.00
Ecofest costs
General upkeep & play inspection £1,263.52 £ 2,300.00
Tree Surgery
Outdoor camera costs
Marketing & Website Costs £98.56 Pending Expenditure
Network rail land fencing costs
Moth morning costs £75.00 £ -
Pond Costs Current total £0.00
Tools & padlocks
Entertainment costs Residual balance £19,601.42
Gravel, paint & signage costs £148.00 Outgoings £2,515.85
Donation
Water Plus (Severn Trent) £750.77
April 25 position
Bank Account £19,601.42
Cash Float £0.00
Profit/Loss £8,526.35
£19,601.42
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