Henkel Volunteers by Heather Burrows
A Helping Hand for Nature from Henkel Ltd In July, we were delighted to welcome a group of eight volunteers from Henkel Ltd, who came to help our environmental team at Pixies Mere in Pix Farm Lane. The Trust is working to restore the ecological value of the site and improve it for nature. The Henkel volunteers worked alongside our Environmental and Community rangers, Heather and Mike, to stake in hazel faggots at the lake edge. Pre-planted coir rolls were then installed on top, which should quickly establish to provide a natural plant fringe( reed, yellow flag, iris, etc). The aim is to attract insects, dragonflies, damselflies, etc. The volunteers also took a vegetation raft out onto the lake, which will provide welcome surface cover for wildlife. With grateful thanks to the Henkel team for their hard work.
Footpath improvements at Westbrook Hay If you walk regularly at Westbrook Hay, you will have seen that we are in the process of upgrading the footpaths and walkways. This is to improve access for our beneficiaries, especially at those times of the year when the existing pathways are liable to become very wet and muddy. Of necessity, this has meant that routes and permissive bridleways have occasionally had to be temporarily closed while heavy machinery is operating on the site. We are working hard to minimise disruption and apologise for any inconvenience. Please bear with us – we promise it will be worth the wait!
Photo Competition 2025 Keen on nature? Love photography? Why not submit an entry or two to our 2025 photo competition? This year’ s theme is“ Box Moor Trust: Nature’ s Gift, Our Responsibility”
Like to photograph landscapes? We have almost 500 acres of woods, meadows, hills and valleys. Action shots? The Trust hosts two cricket clubs and a rugby club. If wildlife and nature is your preferred subject matter, there is a rich variety of flora and fauna to be found in every corner of the estate. We’ d love to see all the seasons of the year represented.
All photographs must have been taken of, or from, Box Moor Trust land. The closing date is 31st December 2025. Entry is free and competitors may submit up to 10 images. Photos must be in jpg format, minimum resolution 300ppi( pixels per inch) in order to reproduce well in print.
The twelve selected finalists will be put to the public vote on the Box Moor Trust Facebook page to determine 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. Prizes are £ 100 for first place, £ 75 for second and £ 50 for third. The best images will feature in a special photographic exhibition during 2026.
Path works photos 1 & 2 by Peter Samson
Last year’ s winning image by Adam Brennan
10 < Boxmoor Direct < August 2025 <
Photos: Alison Clark