Clayfield Copse in the Spring.
 A working horse pulling tree trunks out of the wood.
Wood turner Andy Noyes is a local craftsman who uses native English hardwoods sourced from sustainable woodlands and nature reserves (such as Clayfield Copse) to produce a variety of turned wooden bowls, toadstools, chopping boards and other items.
What's On for Children?
This is the last day of Readings Childrens Festival
Especially for children we have story telling, bug hunting, environmental games, clay play, a woodland trail and a Green Man!
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 (Saturday 4th June 2005)
It was a Great Family Day Out!
In the beautiful setting of the summer-green fields and woods at Clayfield it was a day for families! The recreation ground was filled with people enjoying the sunshine and Friends of Clayfield Copse's Woodland Day. There were 30 stalls and crafts, all related to woodland and wildlife, there were 14 guided walks, dog competitions, horses working in the woods, a display by birds of prey, and all kinds of activities for children. Teas in the marquee, hot dogs at the bar-b-q, musicians to entertain, red kites circling overhead and a mysterious green man!
Take a look at the Photos from the day
At the end of the day, the Copse was back to its peaceful self, - then at 9 pm, 60 people arrived to go on the bat walk! And at 4.30 the next morning 6 nature lovers came to listen to the dawn chorus!
Do you know, at least two people said they had lived round here for 20 years and not visited this site!!!
It was worth all the six months, and more, of hard work if at least two more people now know about this special piece of countryside on our town boundary and will begin to enjoy it, worth it too to see so many happy family groups having a day in the fresh air, the two young lads with charcoal smudged faces working so hard at the charcoal display, the emotion of a lady at the sight of the horses,[she remembers working with such horses herself,] the excitement of the children hearing the bats, and many, many more happy memories.
The day was free, thanks to grants from the Local Heritage Initiative Fund, Emmer Green Residents Association and Reading Children's Festival plus support from Reading Borough Councils Parks Department and it was run entirely by local volunteers.
In the year of the volunteer, and May being the month of environmental volunteers!, this was a particularly suitable event, and we volunteers hope more of you out there will feel you can contribute your time to ensuring days like this can continue and that this very special site will stay as it is for many years to come.
We are back to work on the first Sundays of the month, 10am in the car park. See you there ?
A celebration of this beautiful site and the wildlife and crafts
associated with traditional management of
our local Chiltern woodlands.
A day of woodland events for everyone.
Entrance Free.
Where is it?
At the northern end of Caversham Park Village Road which runs between Henley Road and Peppard Road.
Reading buses 44, 45 and 25 leave the station every 10 to 15 minutes
Car parking on site and at the Milestone Centre
FOCC hope to have the following on the day.
- Green-wood craft workers,
- Working horses from the Working Horse Trust,
- Saw mill, log splitting,
- Exhibits from wildlife and craft organisations,
- Birds of prey displays,
- Dog activities[? Very popular last time!}
- Walks and talks for all ages,
- Reading Borough Council's Children's Festival.
There will also be a barbeque and teas just as previous years.
This weekend is also World Environment Day and will be an appropriate local event contributing to global activities to look after our Earth.
The day will attract visitors from all over Reading but FOCC particularly welcome all local residents to come and enjoy a day in their woods. Entrance and all activities [except for teas and BBQ of course] are free.
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