Welcome to the first POW newsletter! It would be easy to assume that the POW team hasn’t had much to do since VCP day (Victory over Center Parcs 😆) in February 2023. This could not be further from the truth. Whilst we were delighted that this huge threat had passed, the fact is that the threat to Oldhouse Warren did not begin with the Center Parcs proposal and has not ended with its defeat. With this in mind, in May 2023, we produced a report entitled; 'Oldhouse Warren; the heart of Worth Forest. Its biological and cultural value and the threats it faces'. The report calls for the woodland to be brought under urgent and purposeful conservation management before we see a wave of species extinctions. You can read this document yourself here or you can email us for a copy. Huge thanks to two of POW’s committee members, Dave Bangs and Martyn Waller for their hard work in bringing this together. Over the last few months the report has been sent to over 100 organisations and individuals, including the owners of Oldhouse Warren. As yet we are unsure what their intentions are for the woodland but we do know that they are now conducting their own biodiversity restoration plan (BRP) and that Oldhouse Warren has been pledged as part of the 'Weald to Wave' initiative; a 100 mile nature recovery corridor across Sussex (www.wealdtowaves.co.uk). What this means for the future of the woodland, we don’t yet know. POW has forwarded detailed data and ideas to help inform the BRP and has also pushed for recognition of Worth Forest in the forthcoming ’24-’29 High Weald AONB management plan. At present it has NO recognition (and therefore no protection) within the forthcoming plan. On the whole the report has generated a lot of interest and positive feedback from groups who support our vision. These include The National Trust, The Woodland Trust, Sussex Wildlife Trust, CPRE, SOS, RSPB, the High Weald AONB, Woodland Savers and The Open Spaces Society. We continue to meet and have dialogue with some of these organisations to look at how we can work together to bring about proper conservation management of Oldhouse Warren and to campaign for greater protections for Worth Forest as a whole.
We hope you enjoy our newsletter, especially our new articles on Worth Forest veteran trees, an update on its birds and plants, fungi and other flora and fauna that dwell within this historical landscape. Read our blog from David Bangs and his reflection on Worth Forest Wanderings which covers sun-bathing newts, Eight Eyed Blood Hedgehogs and the recent finding of a Neolithic hand axe! To find out more about Protect Oldhouse Warren, drop us an email at
protectoldhousewarren@gmail.com. Our next general meeting will be in January 2024 if you want to get more involved. In the meantime, please keep an eye on our social media pages.
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November 2023
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