Woodland Warden Steps Down

Members of High Woods Preservation Society voted unanimously at Saturday's annual meeting to elect Alan Malpass the society's president in recognition for his voluntary work.

The packed meeting at St Michael's Community Centre also voted unanimously in appointing Bexhill-based forestry consultant Sara Clark as its new woodland warden.

Society chairman the Rev Paul le Sueur told members that a special meeting would be held shortly at which the society would express its appreciation of the service rendered to the High Woods by Alan Malpass.

Mr Malpasss was honoured at the recent Bexhill Achievers Awards and has been invited to attend Rother Council's next meeting to receive the council's thanks in person.

Since 1980 the charity has cared for the 87-acre woods under a management agreement with Rother, which has since acquired the freehold from the county council.

The chairman said Alan Malpass has served the society and the High Woods with devotion - organising and conducting guided walks, negotiating and implementing the management programme and publicising the society's work through his regular contributions to the Observer.

Sara Clark said she had responded to the appeal for a new woodland warden because she and her husband, Wesley, were keenly interested in the wood, which she had known and loved since childhood.

She pledged to maintain the management programme and to continue the good work undertaken by Alan Malpass.

She received a warm round of applause when she announced that, after a struggle, she had obtained a 2,000 Forestry Commission grant towards the cost of woodland management.

A large noticeboard was being prepared for the wood together with information boards.

As soon as contracts were exchanged work would start on resurfacing the woodland car park and removing debris.

Society secretary Reg James has stood down. The meeting voted in Joan Harding in his place.

Treasurer Bob Goodwin, who reported that the society has a balance of 4,620 for use in the woods, has also given notice that he would like to stand down as soon as a replacement can be found.

Appealing for a replacement, the chairman said good treasurers were "like gold dust'¦"

In his final annual report, Alan Malpass thanked the officers and members for their support. "I could not have done it without every one of you in this room. You cannot do things on your own and I do thank you for your support over the years."

He said an extremely cold, wet and long Spring had meant that Bluebells were hard to find on the annual Spring Flower Walk, though Anemones has still been in profusion.

The Spring had been a bad one for Tits, which generally produced only one brood.

A hot, dry, June and July had been replaced by a wet August. But White Admiral butterflies seemed to have done well and a Clouded Yellow had been spotted and added to the High Woods' list.

The BTCV Green Gym team had continued to work in the woods, particularly on the heath area. Some oak coppicing had already been done and rhododendron eradication.

An observant member of the public who reported to police the registration number of a vehicle which had been bringing a rogue quad bike to the woods had effectively solved the problem but vandalism continued to pose a threat.

Forty two people had attended the last Fungi Foray. Further guided walks in search of Autumn fungi would be held on October 21 and November 4.