Friends of Holly Hayes Wood

Welcome to our homepage

Who are the friends 

Friends of Holly Hayes Wood are a community group, comprising of local residents, who aim to set-up a social enterprise business to maintain and improve Holly Hayes Wood and Coalville Meadows. The group acquired the Holly Hayes Wood and Coalville Meadows sites back in 2008 and intend to acquire the Forest Rock Wood site in the near future. The group want the local community to enjoy the meadowland & woodlands, be able to show their children the bluebells in the spring and walk their dogs safely in the woods for many years to come.

Our purpose is to own, safeguard and improve the areas of Holly Hayes Wood and Coalville Meadows  by demonstrating the value of woodland to the local community and proving the concept of a community owned woodland.

Over time, it is proposed that the wood will become a forest school and a traditional woodland both intertwining, with the forest school aiming to teach young and old about woodlands and, in the longer-term, provide jobs in the local area which support the objectives of a social enterprise business.

It may sound a tall order, but it has been done before and we believe if we all work together we can do it here in Whitwick as well.

Training

Our project was instigated by North West Leicestershire District Council back in 2006, and has been developing since that date.

The development of the woodland as a social enterprise has been similar to a very successful venture at Hill Holt Wood in Lincolnshire. A good number of local residents have got involved in the project aimed at addressing issues such as anti-social behavior, litter and tidiness within the woodland.

We have recently been successful in applying to the ‘Crime Innovation Fund’ for money to support a training scheme in the woods. This scheme will provide an opportunity for young people who are at risk of exclusion from school or are NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) to acquire skills- based educational opportunities in areas such as woodland management and dry stone walling, growth in their social and personal development and improved prospects of obtaining future employment.
 
We ran a successful 6 week NEET training course in Autumn 2011, in conjunction with Community Connections NW Leicestershire and the County Councils VIP project.

We are currently seeking to employ suitable people to deliver this training, which is currently funded until March 2013 - Click here to see the vacancies.

Public Rights of Way

What are public rights of way

England has about 190,000 km (118,000 miles) of footpaths, bridleways, and other rights of way. They are the most important way for visitors to enjoy the countryside, and are also useful for local people to get to the shops, school and work.

Footpath - open to walkers only, waymarked with a yellow arrow

Bridleway - open to cyclists, horseriders and walkers, waymarked with a blue arrow

Byway Open to All Traffic (BOAT) - open to all walkers, cyclists, riders and motor vehicles, waymarked with a red arrow

The majority of the footpaths in Holly Hayes Wood and Coalville Meadows are Permissive footpaths. We have started to mark these out with a white tipped post. 

Over time, all footpaths will be marked. In the short-term, please try to keep to the obvious tracks and avoid walking across areas such as the bluebell colony.