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On the 15 September 2003 a public meeting was held to tell local residents about the Omer's Gully Wood project in Burghfield Common Village Hall.

Much has happened since and is chronicled in these pages. New Friends are always welcome.

Photo by Caroline Booth 30 April 2005.

MISSION STATEMENT - We are residents from Burghfield who would like to improve Omer's Gully Wood in a way that is sensitive to nature in order to make it more attractive to visitors and better for wildlife. We would like to involve all the community, including school children.

Omer's Gully Wood is the strip of wood just behind Hunters Hill, Abbey Park, and Bluebell Drive. The larger part is owned by the Englefield Estate and the remainder by West Berkshire Council. The wood covers 3.6 hectares.

In old maps we can see that it has been woodland for a very long time - indeed it has probably always been woodland. Trees were taken out to use as firewood or for building, but the wood was never completely felled. Such woodlands are rare; they are called "ancient woods". 

Omer's Gully Wood is very valuable for wildlife, with a nice stream and beautiful old trees. There are small glades, which are great for butterflies and sun-loving plants. There is also a lot of dead wood lying around. This is very important, as many insects feed on dead wood or need it for shelter. 

86 different plant species and 46 different birds have been found in Omer's Gully Wood, and there are lots of animals, such as foxes, deer, badgers, squirrels and rabbits. 

Unfortunately some people don't appreciate the woodland and have occasionally dumped their rubbish there in the past. This makes parts of the wood look ugly and is bad for wildlife. Paths can become overgrown and require maintenance.

In order to solve these problems, BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) has got a conservation group together. This group of people will look after the wood. 

The Omer's Gully Project is carried out by BTCV in partnership with West Berkshire Council and Sovereign Housing.