Summary of the 2024 Arlington Bluebell Walk

This has been a significant year, as we have now raised over one million pounds since 1972, the exact total being £1,061,654.  This year there were 27 different charities involved, who raised £93,470, from the sheer hard work of their respective volunteers.

Looking back, it went more or less according to plan, with the many changes we introduced being warmly welcomed. The unpredictable early spring weather added to our challenges, starting with the white wood anemones that quickly flowered, unlike last year where they stayed for the first two weeks! The bluebells were magnificent, then luckily we had a period of cold weather, so they lasted well. The heavy rain at times meant we liberally used many tons of crushed tarmac and pea beach to ensure we kept one step ahead of the mud, both on the paths in Beatons Wood and in the car park. This year not one car had to be pulled out by tractor!

The May Bank Holiday Monday will be remembered for the constant rain all day, so only around 200 visitors instead of the expected ten times that number, scuppered any chance of this year having a record attendance!

Plans for the future

This Newsletter first appeared sporadically in 2016, then monthly from January 2022. It is for those who are interested to know a little more about ‘what goes on behind the scenes’ in the planning and delivering a Bluebell Walk each year as well as news from Bates Green Garden.

What started as a simple idea of my wife Carolyn back in 1972, has now reached a significant milestone by having exceeded the million-pound threshold in monies raised for charity.  I was born in 1936, so 2026 will be my 90^th year, and unfortunately I am no Peter Pan!

Dear reader, next month I will try to start to share some thoughts on how I will endeavour to ensure that the Bluebell Walk does not lose its relevance and importance, in the years to come. Visitors must continue to enjoy what nature provides each spring in Beatons Wood, of which I am currently the fortunate custodian, whilst at the same time raising much needed funds for local charities.

Footnote:  An essential task once the Bluebell Walk closes

I try and purge Beatons Wood of cleavers (Galium aparine) or its many names such as catchweed, robin-run-the-hedge, goosegrass, sticky willy etc! Time is not on my side as once the seeds ripen; they fall off ready to emerge next year! It is time consuming and tedious, but an important activity each year, if one is to keep the bluebells from slowly being overwhelmed, where this pernicious weed has become established. I reassure myself that I am slowly ridding Beatons Wood, but it is so easy to miss that occasional long stem, only apparent the following year, where a cluster is found growing!

This task gives me the opportunity to see every part of the Wood, so any young brambles or docks missed in the Spring are removed, but this year I have noticed an abundance of Wild Raspberries (Rubus Idaeus). There have always been a few, which I erroneously thought I had completely removed, but this year has proved me wrong, as they are spreading, possibly due to the excess rain. Their stems are easy to pull up, but their fibrous roots remain in the soil, so it will mean regular monitoring through the summer to remove new canes, until their reserves are depleted.

The image shows the raspberry appearing between an abundance of self-sown hornbeam saplings, which will have to be cut down in the autumn, if you want to see the bluebells underneath. Those who say, once you have the bluebells growing in a wood then there is nothing much to do, as they will just appear year on year, have no idea!!