Starting 09:30am.
If you intend to come please contact Ian Taylor ([email protected]) so that he knows to expect you.
Jobs are likely to include:
All CANW members are invited to attend, help out, pop down & meet people, get involved with & contribute to the management of the amazing woodland. (Find it on Google Maps).
Being on the CANW committee is a great way of being fully integrated into the heart of the coppice industry. You don’t even need to be a coppice worker (although a belief in the value of it is probably a prerequisite). Meetings are usually surprisingly fun & inspiring. It isn’t about becoming a cog in a machine so much as an opportunity to bring your own ideas to help to shape & steer the organisation to achieve more for the sustainable relationships between people and woodlands through craft, heritage and biodiversity. Please jump on board!
CANW is in need of a treasurer ASAP. Many thanks to Louis who has held the role for more years than I can remember. It’s not hugely onerous nowadays as getting a proper bank account has vastly reduced the workload. Probably 1/2 hr a week would cover it as an average, mainly just recording & income & spends. There may be a flurry of activity at key times such as around Weekend In The Woods. If you have basic record keeping (spreadsheet) skills & willingness to be an integral part of the committee and can spare a bit of time please do get in touch so we can discuss further.
We also need a new NCFed Representative as Melanie Fryer has accepted the role of NCFed Secretary and therefore will be relinquishing her CANW role (although she will remain on the committee ‘without portfolio’). Congratulations to Melanie, and many many thanks for her very diligent work in the role. She’ll be an asset to NCFed.
Please let us know if you are interested in taking up the role & we can discuss further.
Emails to [email protected]
So, as ever, Subs are due on 1st Jan. The fees have changed, as have the bank details, so please read below.
Many thanks to each of you who fed back with regards to the proposed fees. 20 out of 20 respondents were in favour, so we are proceeding as follows:
Single membership: £25.00
Joint membership: £35.00
(These are now the only two categories of membership)
Please pay by BACS to the following account:
NatWest Business Current Account: TTs Coppice Association (N W)
Account Number: 20809336
Sort Code: 01-00-61
Reference: Please put your name + “subs” as the reference so we know who’s paid & what you paid for!
Note: if you forget to amend your old standing order then the old fee will be collected by Cumberland BS in line with your previous instruction. Whilst we do still have access to the antiquated account, frankly I hope never to have to have anything to do with it ever again so there will likely be some delay in identifying your ‘partial’ payment and subsequent reinstatement on the membership list, followed by being hounded for the top-up fee!!!
Many thanks to those of you who have already paid for 2024 ahead of time.
We’re starting our plans for Weekend in the Woods and would like you to let us know of any courses you’d like us to put on. Email your ideas to [email protected].
Our provisional dates for this event are 1st and 2nd of June 2024.
A message from one of our members:
“Our Lime Kiln Wood Trust members have now taken firm decision to sell the wood and are considering the best way to divest the property to a buyer who will hopefully manage it in a sympathetic way. We are arranging for a valuation and will be looking to proceed in the new year. It would be very kind of you to alert your Coppice contacts to this opportunity to own and manage a gem of a wood. We do have a dedicated website Lime Kiln Wood | Lime Kiln Wood is a 5 hectare piece of ancient semi-natural woodland“
If you would like any more information you can contact Richard Scott [email protected]
All welcome. Great chance for new members to meet some old hands. Please contact Ian Taylor [email protected] if you intend to come so he’ll know who to expect.
This will be followed by the CANW EGM in the pub just around the corner as per the previous post, so you can link the two events together if you feel that way inclined.
The National Coppice Federation is keen to recruit a new voluntary ‘Thatching Spar Officer’ to promote the use of local thatching spars which obviously would benefit the domestic coppice industry.
The National Society of Master Thatchers is also likewise keen to promote the use of domestic spars and have reported that some of the imports from Europe are currently commanding a price of £300/thousand! It is therefore crucial that NCFed has someone on board to champion the cause of UK produced thatching spars/liggers for the domestic market.
A full Role Description is attached and, if you’re interested in representing UK spar makers & gad producers, please email [email protected]
Job description below
We hereby give notice of an EGM (that is an Extraordiary General Meeting) that we intend to hold on Monday 4th December at The White Hart, Bouth. 17:30. We’ll provide some bar snacks.
The reason for this is to discuss the following:
**** Proposed Subs increase for 2024 ****
In update emails earlier in the year I mentioned that CANW has never increased its subs since it was established 25 years ago and that an increase was on the cards for next year. Whilst we love to offer a bargain, the reality is that our costs have increased massively while our income has remained roughly the same. Things we’ve always paid for have gone through the roof (e.g. insurance etc), and since everyone is squeezed nowadays it’s much harder for people to offer significant amounts of their time for free. We now have additional costs for some essential committee work and the production of the fantastic all-new CANW newsletter (another one is scheduled by the way). CANW also pays NCFed membership on behalf of all individual CANW members (this gives you access to the discount insurance deal and a voice as a woodland worker where it comes to national politics). NCFed’s cost per head has also increased.
Basically, if we don’t do something about this we’re going to run out of money!
At our committee meeting on 8th November we proposed to increase the annual fees as follows:
Our aim is to continue to promote coppicing and associated crafts, offer opportunities for learning & development, and bring together all those with an interest into a coordinated group so that we each have a channel for our say at a political level, whilst keeping abreast of changes.
In line with our constitution we are obliged to consult our members with regards to changes to the annual subscription rate. So here is the notice of the proposal, and if you have any strong feelings that you wish to share on this the EGM will give you the opportunity to voice them to the committee. If you are unable to attend the EGM please drop me a line ([email protected]) & I’ll feed your concerns into the meeting or answer any queries you may have.
Just a quick note to say a huge thanks to everyone who helped out at the NCFed gathering. A few of our members stepped up & helped us fit all the campervans in, get folk registered, sort out general calamities, & all sorts of behind-the -scenes stuff that made the event go really smoothly. You know who you are & we appreciate you.
Feedback on the event from attendees was very positive, with someone even suggesting it might have been the best one ever!!!
Closing date: Tuesday 14th November 2023, midnight
NCFed are currently seeking a Company Secretary to work closely with the NCFed Directors, to have oversight on the core functions of NCFed. There will be a focus on maintaining good record keeping and due diligence with regards to legal responsibilities.
The position is paid on a self-employed, part-time basis.
Expressions of interest should be sent to: [email protected]
Click here for the full job description: https://ncfed.org.uk/the-ncfed/vacancies/