Come along to Emma and Dan's holding near Bodle Street on Saturday 17th May, see what their plans are for their new woodland home and meet other SFTG members over a cuppa.

The holding is approx 7 acres, mostly woodland (an overgrown conifer plantation approx 30-40 years old), interspersed with some older neglected hazel coppice and mixed deciduous. A very large pond with swimming end (currently full of brown carp and looking like the penguin enclosure at Drusilla's!). The house is a 17th Century barn conversion with attached Victorian granary (also needs considerable renovation).

Whilst they've both had allotments in the past and Emma has run an edible community garden in Hove for many years, managing land on this scale is new to them. They have chickens and hope to install a polytunnel this year for veg.

They are also members of the Sussex Bodgers (APTGW) and Emma now coordinates the Sussex Group (a role she took on as a novice bodger last August) who meet monthly at Old Barn Woods on Cinderford Lane.

Their vision for the land so far is: 1) a source of fuel for a biomass boiler we plan to install this year to heat the house (currently no functional heating) 2) potential structural material for A-frame shelters 3) a source of material for green woodworking on a small scale. 4) a venue for craft and skills sharing activities. They would like to renovate the hazel coppice and slowly replace the conifers with deciduous trees (This could be challenging given the number of deer currently abiding there though!). Their overall aim is to steward the land as sensitively as they can for maximum wildlife and low impact.

Best if dogs are on leads as they have a large pond, chickens, plus deer a plenty roaming with incomplete boundary fences.