Glenny Wood - an insight into running,

maintaining and developing our site.

What takes place and is just not seen!

Our team of volunteers who make this happen are -

Phil Woolcock - author of the note.

Angus Wardle

Jill Derrick

Andy Derrick

Phil Savage

Tony Tween

Alison Salter

We are ably assisted by our cleaning team of Tamsyn and Kasia, and Mark who spends hours strimming and working at keeping nature under control.

So how does this team make Glenny Wood the fabulous site it is….

Keeping Glenny Wood safe, clean and tidy is a key area for the team. Over the year I have mentioned the maintenance work we have undertaken along with the development activities completed. There is also a lot of other regular work completed behind the scenes that is so essential and is not seen. Therefore to give you an idea of what happens please read on….

Safety checks - Throughout the year, following a 4 weekly cycle, safety checks take place each week. These checks are essential, ensuring we provide a campsite environment that is as safe as possible, for our site users to enjoy. The key areas reviewed weekly include the outside lights, fire alarms / extinguishers, lights and heating in the lodge plus the toilet and shower facilities. The water is run in each area weekly as well. Also the activities are checked every other week and monthly the lodge has a detailed check, campfires and other key site areas checked. 

Maintenance required following these checks is assessed and either undertaken immediately or if a lower priority added to the Glenny Work plan.

Jill leads with these checks and is supported by Phil S. Many thanks for making this happen.

Cleaning - Tamsyn and Kasia do a fabulous job, as each week they come to the site and clean the toilets, showers and lodge. They make a mega difference and over the past three years, since they started on site, you can really see the improvements. Some weeks can be quite trying and occasionally unpleasant. They deal with the issues and ensure all is as clean as you can have on a campsite. These facilities with their hard work are better than most. A big shout out and mega thanks to our two ladies.

Woodlands - In this review we must not forget the work and cost to keep the woodlands actively managed and reducing the risks in this fabulous facility. I (Phil W) carry out Bi-monthly checks of the area and throughout the year we all informally look out for issues in the woodlands whilst on site. Annually we have the site reviewed by a professional arboriculturist and we then action the report as required. Tony is regularly seen checking our newly planted trees, watering them when it’s dry and ensuring the nursery plants are thriving.

Site bookings is a very key part of the team, ensuring the  site is well and effectively used and the income is received. Thanks to Alison for looking after this.

Finances - Talking about money our finances have to be managed, bills paid etc… This is all in the care of Phil S and Jill.

Delivery of site maintenance and development, this is the big ticket issue every year - Throughout the year in this news section I have updated you all on the huge amount of development and maintenance work completed and critical in running Glenny Wood and keeping it successful, safe, interesting and a fun place to go, for our young people. Ensuring the maintenance and development is delivered is key and thanks go to Angus who leads on this and to Andy and the team for all their hard work.

Tidy and well presented site, managing nature….

Everything grows so well and quickly at Glenny Wood and nature is so resilient. With the site being so big and much of the area covered by bracken, maintaining this is a mega challenge.

Keeping nature at bay - This year, on a fortnightly basis Mark has been on site, working mega hard clearing the key areas of the site, strimming the bracken, cutting up fallen wood and tidying up the woodlands, plateau areas and banks. Mark has made a big difference this year to our site, how tidy it is and keeping the bracken at bay. A massive thank you for all his hard work.

Grassing cutting is a major task especially in the Spring and Summer months. Most of the site is mowed using the tractor, undertaken by Andy or myself. The undulating site adds to the challenges and fun in mowing the site and makes it interesting! The rest of the team help out with hand mowing and Angus gets the Strimmer going as well. 

Finally there’s me! Providing direction and support on the activities that make our site tick and so successful with over 5500 visitors in the year. I have looked after the planning, long and short term, the strategy, what’s new, whats maintained, new areas to open up, new activities added in etc……, planning when it’s to be delivered, checking we can afford it and so on. Ensuring all the site safety issues are covered, checks take place, results reviewed, regular woodlands checks happen, annual safety checks take place, communication and this website is update and so on.  I also help out on site when I can. 

Life for all the team running the site is busy, keeps us on our toes and it’s great to see our efforts being so well used and enjoyed by the Young people. 

A mega thank you to the team for their hard work and commitment