The new  Jubilee Copse in Down Grange Meadow, Kempshott is one more step in the enrichment of green spaces in Basingstoke. This new area of planting complements  the adjacent copse created in 2008 and  marks Kempshott’s contribution to Her Majesty the Queen’s Jubilee Year.

To mark the occasion the Mayor of Basingstoke, Cllr. Biermann and the Lady Mayoress inspected the work carried out and added the last spade of soil to the planting The whole project was then given a blessing by the Reverend Kelvin Taylor of St Mark’s Church.

The Mayor and Mayoress, who are both keen supporters of nature conservation, were conducted round the Down Grange Meadow site and heard details of the biodiversity restoration work that has been carried out over the last five years.

This latest development, to create the next generation of mixed woodland on the site, has combined planting material from the Woodland Trust, young elm saplings (part of a national Elm Conservation Project trialling  the reintroduction of  disease resistant strains of  elm across the country), two specimen trees ( a rowan and a whitebeam) donated by the Kempshott & District Residents Association and bushes of  hazel, hawthorn, blackthorn and elder grown by the Group.itself.

Over a dozen Worting St Thomas Scouts volunteered to  plant the whips and small shrubs for us –  despite pretty wet weather through most of the first half of November.  Thanks guys!     Pictures are here>>>