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FSW Open Day 2023 - Report by Linda Morris

FSW are glad to report that those attending the FSW Open Day (c/w SRA Community Picnic and Fun afternoon) on 3^rd September all seemed to enjoy the occasion. We struck lucky with the weather again - sunshine, but not the highest temperatures of the September heatwave.   

We welcomed back some regular stallholders (and some new ones including representatives of the Downlands Trust) and many made donations to our funds, for which we are very grateful. We were sorry though that several of our former stall holders were unable to attend due largely to the lack of volunteer help. The refreshments (and the tables and seating) provided by the Scouts were very welcome - even though the day was perhaps too hot for some to enjoy their burgers! And the lovely singing by the young C & W songstress, Lauca, was enjoyed by those having their picnic lunch, drinks and burgers.

The fun of the FSW tombola and the sales of the white elephants and a few books from those on sale on the FSW stall raised over £200. This - plus the additional donations and subs received - mean we should be able to continue FSW’s work of repairing the old seats/benches in the wood as well as the renovation of the Linden Pool and Glade as the council now only does what is considered urgently essential work in the wood: neither of these projects meet their criteria for action.

The FSW members on our information stall were pleased to talk about our work in the wood and hope they have whetted the appetite of some who might wish to join in the work sessions - enthusiasm is more important than brawn, so do think about coming along to see us in action. We supply the tools and you the labour, doing tasks that suits each person’s skills and ability.  

Several new members enrolled at the Open Day and others who had not so far done so this year renewed their subs. Each £5 sub can be Gift Aided and each one adds to our coffers to help us continue to conserve the wood for the enjoyment of all.  Even if you cannot help physically in the wood or in the background in some way with our admin or planning etc of events, joining as a Friend demonstrates your support and the increasing numbers make our case when we apply for grants so much stronger.                              

The FSW Calendars for 2024 were popular and donations for these also boosted our funds. There are still some left if you want one! There was also the Photo competition to judge – the choice really does seem to get more difficult each year and you can see the entries elsewhere on this website. Do consider submitting some photos yourself for next year’s competition for pictures taken between September ‘23 and August ’24.          

FSW always offer a short woodland stroll on the Open Day to give an interesting introduction to those who had not ventured into the wood before. We hope to see some of those strollers who joined Ted this year on our guided walks in the coming year.  See our programme on our Walks page elsewhere on this website. 

A big thank you to all who helped and who attended and made the day such a success. We will probably do it again in 2024 - date t.b.c. but probably either 1^st or 8^th September - but, after then, it could be time to hand the baton on to others to keep the event and stalls going. All voluntary groups, it seems, need more help and their on-going attendance at the Open Day is not certain.  Please remember this when you look back on this day and think what you could do to help FSW to keep it going! Please contact Linda Morris, the FSW Open Day organiser, via selsdonwood@gmail.com  if you want any more information about taking over from her in due course. Perhaps you would like to shadow her during the year as she plans for the 2024 Open Day to see what is involved?

Open Day Walk - Report by Ted Forsyth

Initially it appeared that only one person was interested in joining the guided walk at 12.30pm but two groups involving young Scavenge Hunters came to join in and a few more additions meant that the final complement was comprised of ten persons, of various ages, plus one dog.

After a quick look at the items on the Scavenger Hunt sheet we wandered up Greenhill Way and stopped at the entrance to the woodland. Huge sycamore leaves were obvious for “a leaf bigger than your hand” so we were off to a quick start. At the first opening we left Greenhill Way and made or way down to get to David’s Crook where various other hunt items were found. After an unsuccessful look for Common Lizards we began looking for Sloe berries on the Blackthorn hedge, finding dozens of the berries but being unable to find any which had been turned into Pocket Plum galls by the fungus which had been so active earlier in the year. Pool Grove took us to Linden Glade and the newly (almost) finished refurbishment of the pool. 

The return route began when we entered Smith Grove and an eagle-eyed adult spotted a Hunt item, Pine Cone, on the path, though there were no Pines in the immediate area. We turned into Bluebell Grove and stopped at the junction with The Wend to look at the display of Common Earthball fungi. Continuing down The Wend allowed us to see the definite Pine tree at the end and to find more Pine cones before diverting briefly into Stevens Walk to see the multiple clumps of Yellow Stagshorn fungi growing on a fallen conifer.

Crossing Great Field to the Centenary Plantation, we were able to see the differences on the Sessile Oak leaves (long stalks) and the Pedunculate or English Oak leaves (short stalk), and even found an English Oak still with a long-stalked acorn which had not yet fallen. The Turkey Oak at the edge of the next field was too high to allow us to look for ant of the distinctive “hairy” acorn cups.

The path across field 2 was no longer obvious, as the grass in all the fields had been cut recently, but aiming towards an opening on the tree-line ahead of us returned us to the car park field and all the continuing activity.

Open Day Financial Report - by Karen Hall

Income

Tombola - £170.15

White Elephant Stall - £113.90 includes additional donations and a donation from Valerie's jewellery sales & toy raffle

Pitch Fees - £40

New Memberships - £255

Renewals - £5

Donations - £37.90

Calendars - £105

TOTAL - £526.95

Expenditure

Tombola Prizes – to be advised

TOTAL - £??

NET PROFIT - £??

Photos by Dawn Gibbons.

Open Day 2019 was a combined event with the SRA Community Picnic Lunch and Fun and Games afternoon. The Scouts provided a useful seating area,  refreshments and some action games. The Rotary Club of Sanderstead and South Croydon (including Selsdon) helped the SRA by organising  some silly races (sack races, wheelbarrow races and tomato and spoon races etc) for all age groups. Many of our regular stall holders attended - the Woodturners, Friends of Littleheath Woods, a local potter, RSPB, Girl Guides, Friends of the Earth, Croydon Beekeepers, Girl Guides, Greenvale PTA  and there was a  sand paint stall as well as, of course our own Tombola and White Elephant stall. We also welcomed a new stall - the RNLI. We hope to have more newcomers next year but need your help in publicising the availability of stall pitches. The event date for 2020 has yet to be decided but will be either 6th or 13th September. Many of the stall holders and visitors said they thought it was one of the best Open Days of the 13 we have held so we hope to keep up to that standard next year! 

The weather was kind to us and we had a good turnout. For the first time we had musical entertainment from the Soul Symphony Choir. The Lifeboat stall had a novel Captain in full dress - see photos - and he even took part in the photo competition. Both the walk led by Ted and the Story Time were well attended.  

Many thanks to Linda for organising the event and to all the rest of the committee who helped on the day.

Open Day guided walk - report by Ted Forsyth

I stood by the bear to wait for customers knowing that three people intended to join me.  I was surprised when 15 turned up!  One was five-year old Abigail who came for the third year running having come for the first time when she was three with her grandma. She frequently held my hand and asked questions as we walked around. Another young lady, also on the scavenger hunt, came with her brother, all the others were adults. We began by walking up Greenhill Way to enter the wood where we picked up a few scavenger items, before walking down to David’s Crook. We pointed out the difference between common Oak and Turkey Oak and mentioned Knopper Galls. Pea and Nail Galls were seen on Field Maple then we took the cut-through to pick up Larch cones and talk about the Dryad’s Saddle (no longer visible) which appeared in the spring on the stump in Stevens Walk. We had a look at the display of Oyster Mushrooms on a fallen trunk then followed The Wend to see Honey Fungus and Common Earthballs. Bluebell Grove brought us back to David’s Crook to look for Sloes then we walked down to the old Cherry, out to Greenhill Way (where someone spotted the Southern Bracket) and back to the car park. I responded to various questions throughout the walk including “How do you know your way around the wood?” I referred them to the map and pointed out the name boards at each junction. In the car park field everyone went off in different directions – young Abigail got halfway across the field before racing back to say “Thank you!” for the walk.

After the successful litter pick with the Beaver Scouts 2 years ago, we were approached this April by Diana Walters leader of the 5^th Selsdon & Addington group to organise another similar event this year. The Council Clean & Green team were happy to participate again and so the FSW investigated appropriate sites. Fox Shaw had been well cleared on the previous occasion so this time we focused on the adjoining paths. There was a big buildup of litter at the end of Yew Tree way where youths had been gathering to party and along the stretch of the London Loop and Vanguard Way running along footpath 515. In the other direction, the footpaths running alongside Fox Shaw to Kittiwake and Turnestone Closes also needed attention.

Around 15 Beaver Scouts supported by teenage Explorer Scouts and half a dozen leaders and parents assembled in Quail Gardens by the footpath to Selsdon Wood at 6pm. The Croydon Clean and Green team handed out lots of litter-pickers, collecting bags and gloves and hi-viz jackets for the children to wear.

We split into 2 groups – one going into the wood and along Vale Border in the direction of Yew Tree Way and the other following the footpaths at the edge of Fox Shaw towards Kingfisher Gardens.

After an hour of litter picking we had a substantial pile of rubbish including a car wheel, part of a motorbike tank and a 2m long piece of insulated cladding. As parents came to collect their children we gave ourselves a round of applause and we all went our separate ways at 7pm after a very fruitful hour. The Croydon Clean & Green Team took all the rubbish away.

A big thank you to Diana Walters and the 5th Selsdon and Addington Beavers group and to Tracey Bellamy and the Croydon Clean and Green Team for all their support.

Student Filming in Selsdon Wood 9^th-11^th November 2015

In November our wood had a visit form a group of students in Filmmaking, at Kingston University. They were led by Jade Lederer who was shooting an adaptation of "The Wonderful Musician", a Grimm's fairytale as part of her assessed coursework. We gave her and her art director a tour of the wood looking for suitable locations and after they had cleared everything with the Council they came to film on 9^th and 11^th of November. The weather was kind to them on both days and  I saw them shooting by one of our significant landmarks (see right) at the junction of Bluebell Grove and The Wend on Monday and near the Monster Trees in Beech Grove on Wednesday (see below). We are told that the film will be available on the web in due course and we shall be sure to let you know when it appears.

Open Day 2015 - 13th September - report from Ted Forsyth

Having watched weather forecasts slowly improving over the last days and even hours before Sunday’s opening, it was with some optimism that I got to the car park at 8.30am. I opened up the toilet block and the gates to the extension car park then checked Linda’s marking out of the various stalls.

Over the next half an hour most of the FSW Committee arrived with husbands, daughters and granddaughters in tow, joined by Richard Lock, Simon Morris and Joseph Stone, and later one or two others who would help on the stalls. Our trolley, with its colourful new wheels, was in use to ferry gazebos and other heavy items from the toolstore and, as the gazebos rose in their positions, a constant stream of materials came from cars and store. I helped David erect his impressive display of the work we do in the wood (see right) then directed the various stall holders to their places.

The woodworking group alone had seven cars, all of which we were able to retain behind their marquee, as we did with all the other stall holders vehicles. This helped to give an impression of a much bigger event and was only possible because the grass cutting had been so well done this year. I was given the notice indicating where to meet for the walks and was about to attach it to the bear when I saw that the refreshment vehicle was stuck behind the entrance barrier which was still closed as I had not expected a high vehicle. I soon managed to open that then got back to the bear only to discover that the string had been cut last year and no longer fitted round the bear. That was sorted out by attaching a longer piece (and at the end of the day it was removed without cutting!). 

When I pay for items using cash I frequently get a handful of 1p, 2p and 5p as change and usually throw them into a container in a drawer. I had no idea what I intended to do with them eventually but decided to spread them around the collection buckets so that we began with something in the buckets to encourage others to donate.

By now it was getting close to the first walk so I wandered over to the bear and was joined by a lady who said she walked in the fields but did not like to walk in the woods unaccompanied. The group was completed by the addition of a couple and we set off up Greenhill Way, chatting about anything which came to mind, including some of the items for the children’s scavenger hunt. We had a good look at Ash keys and discussed the fruits of Sycamores and Maples, then I began pointing out fungi. They must have been paying attention for one of them pointed out a large number of fungi (Inkcaps) growing on branches off the path just before we turned towards David’s Path. One of the ladies was Italian and we talked about the effect of continental immigrants, who know what they are doing, who pick fungi for consumption. Perhaps that is why I do not see some of the more interesting edible fungi – they have got there before me! We followed an unplanned route through Pool Grove, Linden Glade, Leafy Grove (Yellow Stagshorn), The Wend (Common Earthballs), Smith Grove (Small Stagshorn), Great Field (Common and Turkey Oaks), past Centenary Plantation (where the Broad-leaved Helleborine has returned again and is now in seed) and back to the car park. The first lady had picked up a small map from David and I had a spare map I had printed out, which I gave to the couple, and at times we consulted the maps to show where we were. They seemed to enjoy the walk and I certainly did.  It took just over one hour. 

I took pictures of most of the stalls (see the gallery below) and was asked to supply a copy of the jam lady’s stall as she never had a picture of the completed stall (see right). At the RSPB stall I was told that a large flock of House Martins had flown over earlier. There was a moment of panic around 2.10pm when I thought the next walk was to start at 2.00pm but a quick check confirmed 2.30pm. I discovered that Neale was encouraging any intending scavenger hunters to join in on the walk so instead of the three I had on the first walk I set off with at least 23. Neale had printed some of Heather’s scavenger sheets and backed them with a copy of the map, then laminated them in case we had rain. My morning route changed to bring in more of the desired items for the hunt so we were able to talk about Pedunculate-, Sessile- and Turkey Oaks and Knopper Galls, the new Shaggy Bracket fungus in Bluebell Grove, and the couple of dozen Common Earthballs. Again the walk was about one hour and everyone seemed happy. 

By now the main car park and the extension car park had filled up with cars. It was soon time to pack up and materials began drifting back to stores and cars, gazebos came down and were packed away, and visitors’ cars disappeared – except for one which was parked at the far end of the extension car park. When this happened on a previous occasion we left the gate between the car parks looking as though it was closed but put a message on the car windscreen as explanation. We considered doing the same but as we stood talking as the last car was filled with David’s display, etc, the owners of the vehicle arrived so we were able to close the gates, including the height barrier, and leave the site (at last!). It had been a long day but the predicted rain had not appeared so we did not have the problem of dismantling gazebos in the rain and later having the problems of drying off wet ones.

(As we waited at the end a very large flock of House Martins flew over as they hunted for insects over Vale Border).

Report on the Kid's gazebo and Scavenger Hunt from Sarah Malins

We enjoyed ourselves, it was fun and we did work together as a team. Neale went round and gathered troops for the story and the scavenger hunt, which was good for us. Once we got going we were joking with the kids and the parents.

Some of the  parents, when they knew it was free, wanted to donate something. We directed them to the collection bucket in the FSW gazebo. A separate bucket in the Kids area would be good in future. The parents were as enthusiastic as the kids and they were all so nice and very polite. They did put effort into it.

The easier Scavenger Hunt sheet was better, the children were mostly 7/8 and below. However the other sheet was good in that it gave hints of where to find the items, so it was useful to have both. Lots of children didn't find pine cones, but then lots did.

They kids liked the badges and Neale has recorded what prizes were most popular. It was a good idea to have samples of the items to be found, especially as I didn't know what sloe (is that how you spell it) was. However all the adults seemed to know it was connected to gin!

The children enjoyed looking at the skulls but there was no great interest in colouring activities - we just has 2 kids that coloured in. We did put some pictures in their bags. That was it. People were interested in maps of the wood and the leaflets.

Sophie enjoyed talking to the kids and thought the kids liked adding their names to the list of participants that she maintained. She thought we should get their ages next time. I think there were over 40 names on the list.

I think it went well and around 50 children were involved at one time or another.

Financial Report from Treasurer Sandra Crapper

Buckets £48.38
Tombola + Bric-a-Bac £245
Calendars £80
Stall holders £50
Memberships + Donations  £150
So we did very well - raising almost £600 to fund our work in the coming year.

Recruitment

The FSW display and recruitment tent was organised by David Malins with the support of Janet, John and Ted. Subs were paid by 17 new members and 3 renewers (£95) and there were donations totalling £25.

A Thank You from FSW Chair Heather Govier

I was unable to attend Open Day this year and I would like to offer a personal thank you to everyone who made it so successful. The main work of planning and preparation was all down to our secretary and Open Day Organiser, Linda Morris so we owe her a huge vote of thanks. Ted (see above) and all the rest of the FSW Committee - and members of their families - worked hard on the day and my thanks to each of them for their efforts.

On behalf of the FSW, I should also like to say thank you for prizes and sweets donated by Snappy Snaps, Vintage 62, Clarks Newsagents and Friends. Thanks too to John Wren of Croydon Council for arranging for the grass cutting and subsequent clearing. Everyone commented on how well it all looked.

See the gallery below for photographs of many of the stalls. Thanks to Ted Forsyth for these.

Those of you who live in Courtwood Lane may well have noticed that the stretch of Selsdon Wood running beside the road from Cascades to the end of Markfield is a real magnet for litter - see the “before” photograph top left. The main culprits seem to be those households who persist in putting general rubbish in the street bins and the foxes that pull this into the wood and spread it about the area known as Court Wood. The litter is especially visible at this season of the year when the trees are bare and so this was a perfect time to get in there and clear it up.

The FSW organised a community clean up in the area at 10 am on Saturday February 7^th. Croydon’s Clean & Green team were eager to support us by supplying posters to advertise the event. News got out via the Forestdale Forward group and we also notified the Head at the nearby Courtwood Primary School. As a result we were approached by several individuals keen to help and also by the leader of the 5th Selsdon & Addington Scout Group and the Pinewood Seahorses Explorer Scouts who offered the support of his young charges working toward their Community Challenge badges.

It was a great success - see the “after” photograph top right!! We had around 20 volunteers and managed to clear up Court Wood really well:-) There was an unbelievable amount of litter - see the photograph below showing what we collected. Tracy Bellamy, Croydon’s Clean and Green Street Champion Coordinator, and a squad of Enforcement Officers set up a table with posters and T-shirts and provided litter pickers, gloves, bags and bag holders for the volunteers to use and even T-shirts for all who wanted them. The Enforcement Officers also delivered fliers around the neighborhood with information about the Don’t Mess with Croydon campaign. There was a caged vehicle where the collected rubbish could be deposited and we more than half filled it! The event was scheduled for 2 hours but most of the work was completed by 11.30 am when we all got together for the group photograph showing what we had achieved. There was a total of half a ton of litter, which was taken away to landfill.

Thank you so much to everyone who came to helpJ I have had complementary remarks from many local residents who have noticed our lovely clean woods.

Open Day 7 September 2014 

We had a lovely day for our annual fair, which was a fruitful money raiser, netting over £500 (see report below).

Photos above from Faheem Mirza, Dawn Gibbons, Mark Shoesmith and Linda Morris.

The recruiting and PR area did an excellent job - we have nine new members and six old members renewed. Lots of leaflets were handed out so there may be more memberships to come. Three bags of charcoal and one bag of logs were also sold here Many thanks to David, Janet, Neale & KarenJ

The tombola and white elephant stall was constantly busy and the tombola was a sell-out with the final prize hanging on until the very last batch of six tickets was sold! People enjoyed rummaging through the white elephants to track down a bargain. Some ‘escaped' so do come again next year to see what we have managed to round up to help boost our funds. Thanks to everyone who helped out here especially the two Lindas, Karen, Cecile, Christine and SandraJ

The children’s activity area was busier than last year. Popular activities included leaf rubbing, colouring and word search activities and scavenger hunts at two levels of difficulty (the easy one was most popular). There was also an exhibition of skulls and seasonal nuts, which stimulated interest and discussion. Thanks to Dawn, Karl and Cathy for their work on the stallJ

The storytime session (from 1.45 - 2.30 pm) was held beneath the shade of one of the trees. Using clipboards and coloured pencils supplied by Selsdon Library, the children tried to find all the rabbits hidden in a picture - there were 16 to be found so the older children helped the younger ones. Sandra then read three stories: Bunny and Bee's Forest Friends by Sam Williams (Bunny and Bee are rabbits to follow through with the rabbit theme); Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson, which the children really enjoyed. To finish there were photocopy sheets of trees, foxes, rabbits and owls for the children to colour in or to take home. Many thanks to Sandra for leading this sessionJ

The photo competition attracted lots of interest and the winner was Mark Shoesmith with his Squirrel Portrait. Mark also took second prize with his Small Heath Butterfly and Ted Forsyth took third with his Owl in Linden Glade. Congratulations to both winners!!! Thanks to our anonymous donor there are cash prizes for all 3 winners - £50 (first) and £20 (second) to Mark and £10 (third) to Ted - and a Snappy Snaps voucher for each winner. Thanks to Tony for his help hereJ

There were two guided walks during the course of the afternoon, the first with eight adults and one young girl and the second with one adult male. The walkers looked at various fungi, helped with the scavenger hunt, and identified King Alfred's Cakes, Knopper Gall and Artichoke Gall, all found by the young girl. Many thanks to Ted for leading both walksJ

Visiting stalls included Littleheath Woods, Mingles, Bee Keepers, East Surrey Badger Protection Society, RSPB, East Surrey Wood Turners, Selsdon Art Club, and the local Ceramicist, Tim Bartell, and tasty refreshments were ably provided by the 2nd Selsdon and Addington Scout Group lead by Paul Burns. Many thanks to them allJ

Thanks to all who helped with the packing away at the end of the day and a special thank you to Tony and Neale for organising the store to ensure that everything went back neat and tidyJ

The total sum raised for FSW funds was £525.25 - comprised of: £165 – Tombola; £53 – Brica a Brac; £15 – Charcoal; £4 – Logs; £140 – Calendars; £5.25 – profit on Xmas Cards; £40 - Donations from stall holders; £25 - Other donations; £75 - Membership fees.

Thanks again to all those who contributed time, effort and prizes etc this year and a special thanks to Linda Morris who organized the whole shebangJ