Friends of Montefiore Woodland

Christmas “Thank you” to all our volunteers for their time and support!

January 11, 2024/in News /by Sue Smith

“Thank you” Cuppa and Chat at the adjacent cafe to our generous volunteers.

“Christmas Cuppa and Chat”

Sherlock’s Snug, Baker Street Cafe, Petticoat Lane Emporium.

Many thanks to our volunteers for the time and support they have given to maintain this special and valuable oasis of woodland adjacent to the East Cliff Montefiore Medical Centre, Ramsgate for the local community to enjoy.

Some twelve years on from the group’s formation many local people are still surprised of its existence!

This was an ideal opportunity for the Friends to invite the volunteers for a “Cuppa and Chat” at the end of our year’s Work Parties, especially as our mid-session coffee breaks fly by!

Friends of Montefiore Community Woodland 2023 Annual Report

January 5, 2024/in News /by Sue Smith

Friends of Montefiore Community Woodland
2023 Annual Report from the Committee
The Friends of Montefiore Woodland Group was formed in 2011 which means we
have now been managing this woodland site for 12 years. The area is increasingly
being recognised and valued as a tranquil green space to be enjoyed by the
community and various species of wildlife. It is a little haven for birds, squirrels,
foxes, bats and hedgehogs.

Considerable effort has been put into improving the wildflower meadow. Thank
you to Dave Welch for cutting the grass at the end of the summer and organising
the resultant hay gathering. The problem has always been that the grasses tend to
take over and smother other plants. We have tried yellow rattle seeds and plants
with some degree of success. Last year we planted many native wildflower plants
into the meadow but with little success due to the summer drought.

Last month we planted 80 more native plants having first removed grasses from
their immediate surroundings. This has been followed by several weeks of rain so
hopefully they will be off to a better start and we can look forward to improved
results this summer. Thank you to Sue Smith for sourcing and ordering the plants.
The increased variety of plants will also bring a greater variety of butterflies and
pollinating insects. Thank you to Peter Atherall for advising and keeping a record of
all plant species in the Woodland.

Sue Smith continues with the weekly butterfly transect from April to September
and the Friends group also participated in the national Butterfly count recording 9
different butterfly species on the day.

We also participated in the Big Garden Bird count, recording 11 different bird
species on that day. Thanks to Pat for feeding the birds through the winter.
Full details of plants, birds and butterflies recorded in the Woodland can be seen
on our website www.montefiorewoodland.org.uk/ Well worth a look, you will be
amazed.

Monthly Woodland working sessions continue to be friendly and enjoyable
occasions. Members enjoy sharing knowledge and information as well as knowing
that their efforts really do make a difference.

Some sessions have been better attended than others and we are always keen to
recruit more volunteers to deal with the many tasks involved in woodland
management. We need to keep the ivy under control to prevent it from smothering
the trees and damaging the surrounding walls. The invasive Alexander plant is a
big problem as it tends to dominate the woodland preventing a wider variety of
flora establishing. We do cut back as much as possible as well as digging out the
very deep tap roots. Then there are the brambles which grow at a tremendous
rate. We are pleased to keep some for the benefit of wildlife but need to keep
the pathways clear. Never ending tasks.

We have acquired several loads of wood chippings over the year which are spread
along the footpaths to make them more user friendly and to deter people from
trampling other areas.

Under the guidance of Dave our tree specialist some trees which were dangerous or
diseased have been removed, notably the Turkey Oak which was leaning
dangerously on the perimeter flint wall.

Bat walks on summer evenings were continued. After each walk a request is made
for voluntary donations, which are forwarded to the Kent Bat Group in support of
their work.

Sue and Peter Smith continue to do an excellent job in keeping the website up to
date and looking good. We also have a face book presence which is useful for
announcing current events and sharing information on wildlife issues.
We are very grateful for the donations received from supporters this year including
regular payments from our treasurer Jeffery Frampton.
We are most grateful for the support we have received this year from Ramsgate
Town Council. The Mayor Raushan Ara organised a litter pick by local school
children which was very effective and enjoyed by all.

Councillor Tony Ovenden made a generous donation to the funds which allowed us
to purchase more tools, woodland plants and a native hornbeam tree. This was
planted to replace the Turkey oak (but in a different location) and to mark this
year’s coronation. Tony is now a regular on our work parties and has joined the
Woodland Committee.

We are very excited to be getting a storage unit where we can safely keep our
tools. This will make a big difference to our work parties as all necessary
equipment will be readily available to volunteers at all times.

We are pleased to continue our links with the Montefiore Heritage Group.

We also thank the Racing Greyhound for the use of this room for our AGM meetings.

Most of all we must thank our committee members and the volunteers who give
their time and effort to maintaining and improving the Montefiore Woodland.

Lisa Hunt
Chair
Friends of Montefiore Woodland

Montefiore Community Woodland AGM 2022

May 10, 2022/in News /by Sue Smith

Montefiore Community Woodland AGM 2022

Report from the Committee.

This year we celebrate 10 years since the formation of the Friends of Montefiore Woodland Group, when we took over the management of the site from Ramsgate Town Council, the owners of the site.

As with many aspects of our lives the work of the group was hampered by the restrictions of the Covid epidemic. During that period we were unable hold our regular work parties but the Woodland remained open throughout. I’m sure many members of the community enjoyed the peace and tranquillity it provided at that time. I’m pleased to report that the work parties are now back up and running and there is some catching up to do. The brambles, ivy and alexander continue to grow at quite a pace and need to be kept in check.

The wildflower meadow has not lived up to expectations. It was agreed that the grasses tend to hinder the growth of other species despite efforts to introduce yellow rattle and other plants. However, the number of butterflies and insects continue to increase in that area. Thank you to Dave Welch for mowing the meadow at the end of the growing season. Last Saturday’s work party planted out 80 native wildflower plants in the meadow which should make quite a difference to this year’s flowering. Thank you to Sue Smith for sourcing the plants and taking delivery.

Several trees have been removed either for safety reasons or to allow space for others to flourish. Thank you to Dave for overseeing this and for arranging for wood to be chipped and spread along the pathways. Always a great improvement. The intention is that logs be left in woodpiles to provide wildlife habitat but unfortunately, they are often taken away by members of the public.

We were very sorry to hear of the death of Alan Johnson. Alan was always there to help at the work parties as well as being a frequent visitor to the Woodland where he enjoyed sharing his knowledge of spiders and insects.

Thank you to Peter Atherall for advising and keeping a record of all plant species in the Woodland. Take a look on the website and be amazed at the number of different species – about a hundred and still counting.

The nesting boxes are maintained. It was noted that one of the bat boxes appears to have been vandalised, probably by woodpeckers. Pat Short has continued to top up the bird feeders throughout the winter months, attracting a variety of birds to the site. Thank you Pat.

Sue Smith continued with the butterfly transect from April to September and the Friends group also participated in the Big Butterfly Count. Full details of plants, birds and butterflies recorded in the Woodland can be seen on our website www.montefiorewoodland.org.uk

Bat walks on were held on Summer evenings and voluntary donations forwarded to the Kent Bat Group in support of their work.

Looking back over previous reports I note that graffiti and rubbish were a perpetual nuisance. I’m pleased to report that graffiti is no longer possible as ivy is covering the wall and on the whole rubbish is not a problem. We do a litter pick during the work parties and some of the regular users of the Woodland also pick up on their visits. Generally, dog walkers do pick up after their dogs but it only takes a few to leave it behind making it very unpleasant for everyone.

We are very grateful for donations received from our supporters this year. A special thank you to Geoffrey Frampton for taking over the role of Treasurer. He has had a very trying time in transferring our bank account with a view to keeping down bank charges but hopefully this has now been resolved.

Sue and Peter Smith Continue to do an excellent job in keeping the website up to date and looking good. We also have a Facebook presence which is useful for announcing events.

We have always appreciated out links With The Montefiore Heritage Group. Last year I became a member of the group and have enjoyed several events held by them.

We owe thanks to Ramsgate Town Council who have been very helpful and supportive this year and to the Racing Greyhound for the use of the room for our AGM.

Most of all we must thank our committee members and the volunteers who give their time and effort in maintaining and improving this little haven which is greatly appreciated by the community.

Lisa Hunt

Chair

Friends of Montefiore Woodland

April 2022

New bench in Clearing – Thank you, Dave!

August 29, 2020/in News /by Sue Smith

Many thanks to Dave for his expertise and time erecting a new bench to replace the original he placed in the Clearing about 7 years ago.

His benches have been much appreciated by the local community – especially this year with Covid 19 making this little green oasis even more important to many locals during the long hot summer of 2020!

Thank you, Dave!

Work Party over 7.10.17

Record number - 16 volunteers attend April 2019 work party

Friends of Montefiore Woodland – 2019 Annual Report from the Committee

April 30, 2019/in News /by Sue Smith

I am very pleased to be able to report on another successful year, the 7^th for the Friends of Montefiore Woodland.

Work parties have generally been held on the first Saturday morning of most months throughout the year. This enables us to continue to preserve and improve the area.

We have been very pleased to welcome several new volunteers who have helped in keeping the rampant ivy, alexander and brambles in check. Litter is cleared on a regular basis and the siting and emptying of waste bins is now much less of a problem.

Dave Welch continues to obtain loads of wood chippings, which have been used to very good effect on the pathways.

Dave, Ron and Nick Rankin attended a reception at the Yarrow Hotel in January on behalf of the Friends of Montefiore Woodland. They received a certificate awarded by the Thanet Community Awards “in recognition of outstanding contribution the organisation has made to the community of Thanet.”

The wildflower meadow flourished over the summer months and was cut back in November. Attention has been paid to specific plants in order to restrain the growth of grasses and promote the plants which are most attractive to insects. We are grateful to Peter Atherall for keeping a record of flowers and plants in the woodland. Full details can be seen on the Woodland’s website. Peter was given a much-deserved award from Kent Wildlife for his work on conservation over many years.

Sue Smith has continued her regular butterfly transect over the summer months and her records can also be viewed on the website.

We participated in the National big butterfly count in July when 10 different species were recorded.

Bat walks were held over the summer months attracting a good number of people of all ages. There were sightings of bats on every occasion. A collection of voluntary contributions enabled us to send a contribution to the Kent Bat Group. Thanks to Cllr Michelle Fenner’s donation we were able to purchase a Heath Bucket Moth Trap which we set for the first time on the last bat evening, Friday 31st August 2018, 7:30pm – 9:15pm during our Bat Walk .

As the Woodland has free access to the public, the trap was not left unattended, to avoid risk of it being stolen or damaged. On our return to the woodland it was with interest 20 + visitors watched as we opened the trap to see if any moths were within.

The following moths were recorded:

Orange Swift
Square Spot Rustic
Several micros moths (unidentified)
Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing
Agriphila geniculea

During a recent storm a mature horse chestnut tree was blown over from the Synagogue grounds damaging the boundary wall. The tree has now been removed and the wall repaired. The sawdust created in the tree removal was a welcome addition to be spread along the path by Dave.

Cllr Michelle Fenner has indicated that she would like to donate £879.25 from her final Ward Funding Pot to Friends of Montefiore Woodland towards the cost of maintaining the flint wall. We express our sincere thanks to Michelle for her continuing support.

I would like to thank Sue Smith and Peter for the excellent job they do in maintaining the website – always a pleasure to browse through it.

I would also remind you that we have a Face book presence, which is useful for sharing information with members and other organisations.

The committee meet regularly at the Montefiore Arms. We thank them for their work and the Montefiore Arms for their hospitality. Also thanks to the Racing Greyhound for the use of the room for our AGM.

Bat stroll with bat detectors Aug 2015_2473

Setting our new Moth Trap during the Bat Walk 31st August 2018

September 1, 2018/in News /by Sue Smith

Thanks to Cllr Michelle Fenner for funding the purchase of a Heath Bucket Moth Trap we were able to set the trap for our first time last evening, Friday 31st August, 2018 7:30pm – 9:15pm during our Bat Walk .

As the Woodland has free access to the public, the trap was not left unattended, to avoid risk of it being stolen. On our return to the woodland it was with interest 20 + visitors watched as we opened the trap to see if any moths were within.

The following moths were recorded:

Orange Swift
Square Spot Rustic
Several micros moths (unidentified)
Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing
Agriphila geniculea

2018 ANNUAL REPORT From THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

April 24, 2018/in News /by Sue Smith

Shirley KBG leads bat walk 26th Aug 17

This year we celebrate 6 years since the formation of the Friends of Montefiore Woodland Group during which time considerable improvements can be seen thanks to the efforts of our volunteers.

Each year we see plants looking stronger and more established in the improved environment. We are already enjoying spring flowers – daffodils, primroses and violets. Summer will see the flowering of the meadow and last autumn there were crab apples and we harvested our first hazel nuts – not a huge crop but we all got to sample them and they are sweet and delicious. Several more hazel shrubs have been planted so we can look forward to more nuts unless the squirrels get there first. Thank you to Peter for advising and keeping a record of all plant species in the Woodland. Over 60 different species were identified in 2017.

Monthly Woodland working sessions prove to be friendly and enjoyable occasions. This year we were pleased to welcome several newcomers who we hope will continue their support in the coming months – many hands make light work. Dave Welch has again acquired loads of wood chippings which are spread along the footpaths to make them more user friendly and to deter people from trampling other areas.

The nesting boxes have been maintained and Pat and Gerry Short continue to top up the bird feeders, which attract a variety of birds to the site. Provision of water for the wildlife is not easy as there is no water supply on the site. We have installed a shallow water container, which is certainly being used but needs regular topping up. The Friends group participated in the national Big Garden Bird Watch, recording 12 different species.

Sue Smith continues with the weekly butterfly transect from April to September and the Friends group also participated in the national Butterfly count recording 8 different species on the day. The total number of species seen within the woodland now stands at an impressive 17!

Full details of plants, birds and butterflies recorded in the Woodland can be seen on our website www.montefiorewoodland.org.uk/

The wildflower meadow showed some improvement this year, more wildflower species have been planted as well as buckthorn with a view to attracting more butterflies. Thank you to Dave for the annual cutting at the end of the summer.

Bat walks on summer evenings were again very popular attracting people of all ages. We are able to lend bat detectors on the walk but some of our enthusiastic regulars have now bought their own. After each walk a request is made for voluntary donations, which are forwarded to the Kent Bat Group in support of their work.

The collection and removal of rubbish and dog waste continued to be a major problem with the council failing to collect. Following on a road traffic incident which saw part of the flint wall demolished and the bench and bins destroyed and after many complaints and consultations with the council’s officers some of the bins were re-sited and another has been removed. The flint wall was repaired to a very high standard. Georgian Builders advised the removal of some saplings and the accumulated earth that had built up over time as this was and may cause additional problems in future. Our thanks to Ron Newman for tackling this problem with the help of a digger. During the removal of the earth we made an interesting find of an intact old local TOMSON & WOTTON, LIMITED beer bottle!

Graffiti has been less of a problem as the thorny plants along the foot of the wall take hold and ivy continues to mask the wall. There has been evidence of occasional rough sleepers using the woodland but they have not presented any real problems and their stays have been brief.

We are very grateful for the donations received from supporters this year.

We also owe thanks to the Montefiore Arms who kindly allow us the use of a room for our committee meetings and to the Racing Greyhound for the AGM meetings.

Sue and Peter Smith continue to do an excellent job in keeping the website up to date and looking good. We also have a Face book presence which is useful for announcing current events.

Most of all we must thank our committee members and the volunteers who give their time and effort to maintaining and improving this little haven.

Lisa Hunt

Chair

Friends of Montefiore Woodland

August Evening Bat stroll from Montefiore Woodland – was our most successful yet!

August 30, 2017/in News /by Sue Smith

Shirley (Kent Bat Group) pre-walk talk

Shirley pre Bat Walk talk

Common Pipistrelle pups – rehabilitating pre their return to the wild

Our final Evening Bat Stroll for this year was last Friday 25th August and I’m pleased to report it was our most successful yet!

A beautiful summer’s evening stroll from the Woodland was enjoyed by at least forty visitors of all ages from young ones to wise ones! We were very grateful that Shirley Thomson from Kent Bat Group was able to join and lead our walk and were thrilled she had brought along two furry little friends. A rare treat indeed, being able to see Common Pipistrelles at such close proximity. (These two young Pipistrelles are being cared for by Kent Bat Group with the intention of hopefully returning them to the wild). Once again Shirley gave us an interesting and informative talk about the bats in our local area and the work of Kent Bat Group. Our walk began at Montefiore Woodland at about 8:15pm and much to the delight of everyone, we were treated to two sightings within almost minutes! We were all able to see and hear (via the Bat Detectors) between in excess of 15+ different Common Pipistrelles on the wing as they were hunting their insect prey in our local area. Bat calls are normally beyond the range of human hearing and are used to build up a sound picture of their surroundings thus enabling them to wing their way through the dark night hunting the tiniest of insects, but with the aid of the detectors we were all able to spot these delightful, mysterious, nocturnal creatures. This stroll turned out to be one of the best walks we have experienced during the four years we have been organising these events!

This was a free event however we were grateful for the donations given during these summer evening strolls and are pleased to report that we will be forwarding a cheque for £60 to Shirley for the Kent Bat Group. (NB Our bat sightings have already been uploaded to the National Sunset Bat Survey).

Our thanks to everyone who came along and made this a successful and enjoyable evening!

Enjoy the final days of summer + we hope you may be able to join us at one or more of our monthly work parties, held on the first Saturday of each month.

Friends of Woodland delighted with Wall following its sudden devastation!

August 29, 2017/in News /by Sue Smith

Friends delighted with finished wall!

A welcome rest for members of the community.

The Friends of Montefiore Community Woodland are delighted with the recently restored boundary wall following its sudden devastation early hours one morning last spring, along with the street Light (recently replaced) Litter bin and Bus Stop Bench! The boundary wall (the “Hole in the Wall” entrance) adjacent to Paydens close to Montefiore Medical Centre along Dumpton Park Drive has recently been completed. The Friends must thank and congratulate the builders Georgian Brickwork Conservation and Heritage Brickwork Specialists for their professional skills, not to mention the polite and helpful manner they had during this task over the past few weeks. Even when slowed by the unpleasant weather conditions we have experienced this month, they were happy to talk and answer enquiries with our members not to mention the general interest expressed by numerous members of the local community!

And RTC have also re-installed a bench at the Bus Stop for which the local community are most grateful. When I stopped to take the attached photo it was already in use. The local resident said,

“I have so missed this bench, but am glad I can once again stop and rest during my daily exercise from my house.”

Thank you RTC!

Summer Events and Activities at Montefiore Woodland

July 15, 2017/in News /by Sue Smith

Privet Hawk-moth – July work party

Eight visitors enjoyed the first of our three Evening Bat Strolls planned for the local community this year.

In hindsight, last month we met a bit early at 8:45pm, especially as the cloudy conditions seemed to lift and the light levels failed to darken until a lot later! While waiting within the woodland we were joined by a fox who approached us with considerable courage on several occasions. We also discovered three of our bat boxes were occupied, one contained a bird, possibly a Blue-tit, but we were unsure of the other occupants as too high up within the box and our torches were not strong enough for us to identify them.

We were just about to leave as we had had no bat sightings and it was now 9:45pm when suddenly our bat detectors alerted us to Common Pipistrelle presence. We were then treated to 6 excellent sightings most of which were within the clearing itself with the bats flying across the wildflower meadow.

We then walked along the alleyways and into King George VI Park, but only saw a further 3 sightings. The best show was definitely within the woodland on this occasion! A very satisfying evening for all.

Our next Evening Bat Stroll is Friday 28th July at 8:30pm. We meet in the clearing at sunset (weather permitting) and then enjoy a casual walk around the woodland along the public footpaths to King George VI Park + back.

During our forthcoming work party, Saturday 5th August (10am – 12 noon) we shall participate in the Big Butterfly Count (this month 10 species have been seen within the woodland: Small and large White, Speckled Wood, Marbled White, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Small Skipper, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell and Common Blue). Visitors can also enjoy viewing the contents of a moth trap from the previous night. At last month’s work party, members were surprised by the sheer size and colour of a Privet Hawkmoth which had been trapped the previous evening close by, in a local garden.

Finally, on Friday 25th August we are delighted to welcome back the knowledgeable Shirley Thompson from Kent Bat Group who kindly led our inaugural Bat walk in August 2013. We all enjoyed this stroll so much it has become a regular summer event at Montefiore Woodland! Shirley also rehabilitates bats that are in need of specialist care and attention and during her last visit we were delighted she brought along a furry little friend for us all to see at close proximity. We are keeping our fingers crossed she may be accompanied again…..?

Please note all of our events are free although we are grateful for any donations. (NB We contribute data to the National Sunset Bat Survey).

For further information on all Activities and Events see our website for more details http://www.montefiorewoodland.org.uk/