Alternative Half Term Healthy Fun & Big Field Weekend Bash - Make A Difference!

The Downlands, in partnership with the Old Surrey Downs Project, is running scrub clearance tasks at Hooley Meadows on Tues 25, Weds 26 & Thurs 27 October 2011. The Project has been renovating this beautiful chalk grassland meadow since last year and there is lots of scrub still to clear, so the more the merrier! Why not come and enjoy some fresh air and have a go at some practical conservation volunteering? Hooley Meadows is accessed from Maple Way, at the end of St Margaret’s Road, off Star Lane, Hooley/Chipstead CR5 3RB. Task days run from 10am - 3.30/4pm and any help on any days would be greatly appreciated.

The Project is also hosting their 'Big Field Weekend Bash' on Saturday 29 & Sunday 30 October. Big Field is one of the chalk grassland fields that comprise Chipstead Downs SSSI, on the Outwood Lane side of Banstead Woods. There is a lot of low, dead scrub that needs removing from the Field this month. The event will again run from 10am - 3.30/4pm on both days. Sat 29th is 'Make a Difference Day', the UK's biggest day of volunteering, which is why we are hosting the Big Field Bash on the Saturday as well as on the Sunday to link in with this special date. Site is accessed from the rear car park of the Ramblers Rest PH on Outwood Lane.

Why not come along as a family, even if for only a couple of hours on any day? Scrub clearance is not recommended for under 8 yrs of age and all under 15s to be accompanied by an adult please. We provide tea/coffee, biccies and tools/gloves, but please bring a packed lunch if staying all day, plus water, and ensure that everyone wears suitable outdoor clothing and stout footwear. There might still be brambles or hawthorn in the scrub, so we recommend legs and arms are fully covered, just in case.

If you do not fancy practical volunteering but love a good walk, then the Project has a wide range of beautifully illustrated self-guided walk leaflets for lovely circular and linear routes across Surrey and South London. The latest addition to the portfolio is the Dorking to Gomshall walk taking you along the North Downs through some of the finest chalk grassland in Surrey. Other popular walk leaflets include North Downs Ridge (from Reigate Hill), Shabden & Upper Gatton Parks and the Downlands Circular Walk (Chaldon/Caterham). All walk leaflets are available free of charge from the Project. A full list of the walk leaflets can also be found on the Downlands Project's Countryside Walks and Events page. Please call the Project on 01737 737700 or email: downlands@surreycc.gov.uk to find out more about volunteering opportunities and/or to get your copy of any walk leaflets.