Who are the Friends?

We are a mix of people who are engaged in normal occupations, some housewives, some retired. Our ages, skills and capabilities vary. We are not qualified specialists in environmental subjects though through college courses, seminars and practical experience, the knowledge of individuals is growing.

An enjoyment of the site is common to us all. We are always keen to encourage others to share this pleasure. We welcome new Friends and visitors.

Join the Friends

Membership is open to everyone who resides in this area of Nottinghamshire and the adjacent areas of Derbyshire. The only requirement is the acceptance of the Friends constitution as the governing rules of behaviour, FoCW management and FoCW aims.

Currently there are no membership fees nor subscriptions.

Attendance at meetings is not compulsory and the frequency of your involvement with activities is entirely for you to decide. Many Friends only help at the major events or with some specific environmental activity in which they are interested.

Contact the Friends of Colliers Wood

Contact details for general inquiries regarding the FoCW are shown under the Contact Details tab.

Inquiries regarding membership should be made to the Membership Secretary, Ms A Cooke. Anne’s contact details are:

Mobile:	0775 608 1847
Tel.:	0115 938 9529
Post:	Ms A. Cooke, 2 Chantry Close, Kimberley, Nottingham NG16 2QE

How we operate

The friends are formally constituted with a written constitution that sets out our aims, the limited rules and the procedures we follow. Officers are elected for various roles at our annual general meetings. These roles reflect the activities that we undertake. A Chairperson and a Treasure are essential posts to be filled for the group to continue. In practice, members help each other to ensure that all tasks are completed.

Monthly meetings are held to refine policies, agree activity details and to keep members informed of current issues. The meeting notes are widely distributed.

Elected officers are responsible for promoting ideas and formulating policy proposals.

Informality is normal at meetings and during our activities.

Our yearly activities

Currently there are four events that are held at the same time each year. Additional events are programmed to achieve a balanced calendar. Some of these are weather dependant and may be subject to change at short notice.

Activities involving schools and youth organisations tend to be programmed for the summer term and early September. We welcome enquiries from any youth organisation that may wish to organise an environment based session at the site.

Our calendar is updated and displayed in the EVENTS section.

How we started

Colliers Wood opened to the public in 1998. Broxtowe Borough Council, the site owners, needed a practical means of communication with the local communities in order to test public support for any further developments at the site and to identify the important issues affecting resident’s use of the site. The Trust for Conservation Volunteers- formally British Trust for Conservation Volunteers- (TCV) were engaged to establish a ‘friends’ group.

In the late summer of 1998 TCV began by advertising the intent and inviting the public and relevant organisations to a series of meetings that commenced in November. A regular pattern quickly evolved with an ongoing agenda. Attendees prompted issues for consideration and Broxtowe’s staff began to respond to what for them was a new challenge. The group was formally established on 3rd March 1999 when officers were appointed. Thereafter, the Friends set the agenda and TCV support diminished as the group became self reliant.

From the outset Broxtowe emphasised that they regarded the group as representatives of the Borough’s residents. They were willing to consider the Friends proposals for resolving issues and for establishing new site features. Two early projects, the Waterloo Memorial Copse and the Avenue of Limes Phase 1, helped develop the lines of communications and build confidence. Tackling anti-social behaviour was more challenging but cemented the joint approach that continues.

Partner organisations

Most of our regular communications are with Broxtowe staff. Fortunately, Colliers Wood is regarded as one of the keystones of the Boroughs environmental assets and this is reflected by the positive response from the staff of the various departments. Jointly we are regularly discussing aspects of the sites management plan and resolution of issues.

The Friends find benefit in working with other organisations. Our main partners are:

Greenwood Forest Partnership. Consisting of an amalgam of the local authorities in west central Nottinghamshire, Nottinghamshire County Council, Natural England and the Forestry Commission. They have ambitious aims for significant expansion of woodland, hedgerows, meadows and water bodies in this area of Nottinghamshire, with improved access opportunities for public activities. One of their initiatives has been the formation of the Friends of Greenwood Community Forum. The Friends of Colliers Wood are forum members. This forum gives access to other groups ideas and experiences and enables a joint influence on the decision makers at county and borough level.
Link to Greenwood

Greasley Parish Council. The site is situated in the parish of Greasley and we are fortunate to have the active support of the parish council. They help us in practical ways and are represented by two of our members.
Link to Greasley Parish Council

Eastwood Town Council. Eastwood is the major urban entity in the area. The town council are conscious of the benefit to towns people provided by an attractive country park on their doorstep. They encourage and support our work.
Link to Eastwood Town Council

Trust for Conservation Volunteers. Engaged by Broxtowe Borough Council to carry out facilities maintenance tasks that Broxtowe are unable to handle themselves. This includes copse thinning work and hedge laying. The group were affiliated to TCV and value their knowledge and experience.
Link to TCV

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. Broxtowe enlist the Trust’s help when specialist environmental knowledge is required. The Friends have group membership and utilise the Trust’s specialist staff for particular events and input on site management considerations.
Link to Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust

Groundworks Greater Nottingham. Designed and supervised infrastructure works at the site. They have successfully worked closely with the Friends to determine detailed specifications for the designs.
Link to Groundworks Greater Nottingham