COLEBROOKE Women's Institute President, Valerie Pennington, welcomed members to the September Meeting, which was held at Colebrooke Parish Hall.

This was an open meeting and we welcomed 11 visitors.

Our speaker was Tom Vanstone who gave us a talk about trees and wood.

He runs a family business with his son and daughter, using wood to make roof trusses, timber framed houses, barns and garages etc.

He has a sawmill at Bow where he does all his milling.

He said that in a working woodland you need a broad mix of trees (for example birch, sycamore and alder) and you plant thick and then thin out as the trees grow.

The trees, cut down when thinning out, can be used for firewood.  

He told us how to grow saplings from seeds.  You damp the seeds, and then put them into the freezer or fridge for a few weeks before planting them.

However, you have to be patient as it can take from 12 to 24 months for the seeds to grow into saplings depending on the species.  He also told us about Ash Dieback and Dutch Elm Disease.

In the business part of our meeting members discussed the Red Earth Group Meeting which will be hosted by Zeal Monachorum Women’s Institute on October 2.  A total of seven members will be going to this meeting.

Arrangements were also made for the trip to Coldridge on September 28 to visit Coldridge Church for a guided tour on the Mystery of Edward V and the Princes in the Tower, followed by lunch at Coldridge Village Hall afterwards.

Our next meeting will be on October 10 at 7.30pm at Colebrooke Parish Hall when Rachel Dunn will be giving us a talk about Hats.

For further information, contact Andrea Armstrong on 01363 84198.

AA