Author: Colin Andrews

  • Working Party, Mar 2026

    Working Party, Mar 2026

    A mild fine spring morning met the group ready to get stuck into the mornings tasks. Kevin was welcomed as a potential new member of the team before tools were loaded into a wheelbarrow and 8 volunteers headed out towards the play area to a patch of brambles and dogwood to be cleared. Many hands…

  • Down Grange Meadow Work Party, February 2026

    Down Grange Meadow Work Party, February 2026

    The ‘Magnificent Seven’ rolled into town, undeterred by the inclement weather ready to get stuck in to the tasks laid out by Sheriff Ildi.

  • Community Litter Pick, February 22 2026

    Community Litter Pick, February 22 2026

    Around 30 people, young and not so young, attended our first community litter pick of the year to help keep our area clean and green. We were also joined by Cllr Stacy Hart. Also in attendance was Alan from natural Basingstoke, who brought along his nature displays to the café. He had lots of young…

  • Working Party, February 2026

    Working Party, February 2026

    The ‘Magnificent Seven’ rolled into town, undeterred by the inclement weather ready to get stuck in to the tasks laid out by Sheriff Ildi.

  • Working Party, January 2026

    Working Party, January 2026

    The members of the Beggarwood wildlife group met on the first Tuesday of January, for the first working party of 2026. The group were several members short this month due to circumstance and ill health. Linda was ‘stuck’ in sunny Egypt due to a flight cancellation and both Roy and our leader Ildi were unwell.…

  • Litter Pick, December 16 2025

    Litter Pick, December 16 2025

    After postponing the litter pick the previous Tuesday, due to a forecast of rain and high winds, again the forecast was looking like it was against us in the morning for our second attempt! However, things were looking brighter from 2pm, so it was third time lucky. Five ‘Wombles’ gathered in the park and with…

  • Working Party, December 2025

    Working Party, December 2025

    After the wind and rain of the previous days, the working party were blessed with a dry and eventually warm, sunny morning when they met for the last working party of 2025. The volunteers split up into four groups for each of the morning’s tasks; coppicing, dead hedge repair, Dogwood removal and litter picking. The…

  • Working Party, November 2025

    Working Party, November 2025

    Despite it being such a busy time of year, sandwiched between the traditional firework night activities and the not so traditional trick and treating of Halloween, the Beggarwood volunteers still managed to fit in a working party for November, with their numbers swollen by the help of four members of staff from Newbury Building Society.…

  • Working Party, October 2025

    Working Party, October 2025

    On a warm and dry October morning the Beggarwood volunteers met as usual for their monthly working party, but this month their numbers were swollen by the addition of 14 Hawk–Eye Innovations Ltd. employees who are part of Sony Europe. There were two tasks on the cards for the day, the old favourite of clearing…

  • Working Party, September 2025

    Working Party, September 2025

    On a beautiful sunny morning the band of enthusiastic volunteers met for the September working party. Unlike last month when there was a full complement of helpers, there were several of the group missing due to holidays and injuries. We also had to cope with the fact that the store cupboard door was still waiting…