Get involved and Join the Friends of Brandy Hole Copse

If you would like to help to fund the voluntary work of the Friends of Brandy Hole Copse to maintain Chichester’s first Local Nature Reserve then please print off a copy of the following membership form. Download a form by clicking here.

This lovely local amenity is maintained and improved by a small group of volunteers who work for the benefit of the whole community of Chichester.

If you have not visited the Copse, why not come and see what a special area it is.

The Copse offers local residents:

• A place to walk and enjoy peace and quiet
• A place to study our rich flora and fauna
• Significant archaeological remains
• A resource for families, local schools and the community

The FRIENDS OF BRANDY HOLE COPSE desperately needs your support and the backing of the people of Chichester to survive and to ensure that their work to protect and conserve the Copse as a Local Nature Reserve can continue.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

• Become a member of the Group
• Make a donation to the work of the Group
• Offer a small amount of your time to help out as:
  • conservation worker
  • helping with raising public awareness of the Copse
  • helping with membership recruitment
  • acting as an occasional warden
  • anything else you feel able to do

For more information, please  find our contact details by clicking on contact us

A walk in the woods

By Parklands Primary School

Children from Parklands Primary School visited the Copse several times during the Summer Term 2009. Year 1 and 2 took photos and wrote what they thought of the place:

[View with PicLens]

If you would like to arrange a school visit please contact us.

An Anniversary Bonanza for the Copse

Since our last newsletter, the Friends have received a significant boost to our funds thanks to the generosity of local couple, Les and Lin Edmonds.

In celebrating their 40th Wedding anniversary, they kindly decided to forgo personal presents and instead encourage their guests to donate to the Friends. As a result our coffers are now over £500 to the good.

The couple regularly walk their dog in the Copse and it is a great encouragement that they so generously wished to give something back. They hope that others may be inspired to do the same whilst celebrating some happy event!

Wild Flowers in Spring

Judi Darley

Bluebells in the Copse

Committee member Judi Darley asked ecology enthusiast Dr Mike Perry of the Chichester Natural History Society for his top 6 spring flowers to be seen in Brandy Hole Copse. Mike said “it’s a bit like selecting records for Desert Island Discs”! After some careful thought Mike came up with the following 6 wild flowers to look for in the Copse this spring:

Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) voted Britain’s most popular wild flower in a recent Plantlife poll. The Natural History Society recently made a count of about 250,000 flowering stems in the main body of the Copse. Mike is concerned that these native bluebells are protected from the Spanish Bluebell, a species often planted in gardens and now seen along Brandy Hole Lane and by the west end entrances. Mike said “it appears to hybridise freely with the native bluebell … I’d like to see the Spanish Bluebell removed from the Copse”.

Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) low growing, with white flowers sometimes flushed with pink. It does very well in the sweet chestnut coppiced area, where the trees have been cut down to let the light in before they grow to maturity again.

Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) a stunning display of shiny bright yellow flowers, found around the edges of the ponds and in the damp area between Brandy Hole Pond and Centurion Way.

Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana) low growing with violet flowers, like the sweet violet but it has no scent. This plant is important because it is the food plant for the caterpillars of the uncommon Silver-washed Fritillary butterfly.

Wild Arum (Arum maculatum) also known as Cuckoo Pint and Lords and Ladies. The large fleshy leaves appear in December and January and tiny flowers appear, surrounded by a green ‘hood’, in April-May time.

Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys) Bright blue flowers with a pure white ‘eye’, they are small but spectacular in large numbers. Mike said “I’ve included this one because it is one of my all time favourite flowers”.

Do you agree with Mike’s list? Do let us know which are your favourite spring flowers in the Copse!