I have been welcomed so warmly into so many organisations whose company, good humour and support I will sorely miss. It has been amazing to make hazel hurdles from coppiced hazel with Wildgoose Rural training, to plant trees with Lower Broadheath, Martley, Hallow and Grimley & Holt primary schools, to build a hibernaculum, a beetle bucket, go pond dipping, explore Martley Millenium Green, walk around Monkwood with the school ‘experts’, to make bird boxes, bird feeders, minibeast homes, complete wildlife surveys on school grounds, identify butterflies, look for dormice footprints, look for dormice, measure the age of a tree and spend one lovely Sunday morning getting very muddy with the scouts planting hedging trees. Oh, and I mustn’t forget the lovely tea and cake at tea and chat mornings and talks to societies, parish councils and gardening groups - some of which drink Pimm’s at their meetings, who knew?! Some of the final events at Monkwood for me were the Discover Monkwood Bioblitz and a celebration day for donors and local stakeholders. Both were lovely days with a real appreciation from people as to how much the Trust has achieved.

Yet there is much left to do to make Green Farm a fabulous destination for so much wildlife and Dominique is definitely the person to make this happen. With Yasmina as co-pilot, they will have an amazing year with more tree planting on a bigger scale, supporting local communities to provide homes for wildlife and writing up historical stories and information about Monkwood - so much more mud to be walked through! I am so grateful to have started working for the Trust with this project as it has been rewarding and fulfilling year-round and I am very lucky to be staying within the organisation; I can keep up to date with progress but just need to not do to Yasmina what Esme Young and Patrick Grant do on The Great British Sewing Bee when they look over people’s shoulders whilst they are working on an outfit!

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