Welcome to the Forest of Avon Trust blog: providing a unique insight in to the progress of the Trust for trees in the Bristol, Bath and Weston area (the West of England). 

I am really pleased to say that Jon and I are now being helped out by volunteers, Remy Leaf and Mark Wilson. Remy is getting the display out and about and helping with exhibitions and Mark is surveying areas for the Garden Forest. If anyone else out there wants to help, just let me know.

We have just launched our Text a Tree scheme and this is being promoted in the local press and will shortly be  advertised at Bristol Airport. There could not be a simpler way to support local tree- action, whether inspired by that holiday flight or just wanting to improve the local area.  

Project planning and securing funding is taking up much of my time, so that we can deliver the first phase of the Garden Forest later this year and get some really good projects coming forward for the Community Free Trees scheme. Natural Connections is delivering a Forest School project in Bath and has worked with the Black Environment Network to promote the benefits of outdoor learning to community leaders, through work at Ashton Court. 

I will be submitting the Wood Skills bid in July,which will, if successful, provide structured training in woodland management skills. 

Watch also for the new interactive blog, which will be emailed to subscribers later this month!

Jon, July 2010.

Your thoughts are welcome as ever, email me on jonclark@forestofavontrust.org