As winter draws
in and the incessant rain of this autumn gives way to sleet, snow and a frosty
glaze covering the morning earth, preparations for the Christmas festivities
are appearing all around us. Towns and villages across Shropshire have been
putting up their Christmas lights and decorations for a few weeks now; whilst
as I write this, Shrewsbury itself prepares for the big switch on of Christmas
lights this evening (20th November). A few of the FSC Preston
Montford team will be in attendance to enjoy the music, lights and joy – by the
time you’ve read this we won’t still be there, but if you want to imagine us to
still be at the Christmas lights party, feel free. This however, started me
thinking about how I’ll decorate my flat and how we will decorate FSC Preston
Montford as sustainably as possible.
One of the most
straight forward ways for us as a centre to achieve this is to use the natural
materials around us to create some lovely wreaths. All that is required is some
willow or bendy hazel and a range of plants that can be attached to the willow
/ hazel ring. We tend to use ivy, holly, teasels, pine cones, raffia, dried
fruit, dried flowers and grasses – anything you can work into the wreath to
make it look pretty. Here are a few examples of our wreaths and some of materials
that we use to make them.
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| Foraged materials from around our centre and our own gardens. |
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| Natural wreaths have texture and interest. You can dd foliage and holly with berries to yours for more colour. |
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| Natural wreath and Christmas tree decorations. |
Aside from wreaths, there are plenty more decorations that can be made from wood and the nature you find around you. Here are some small Christmas trees, stars and animals created with a bit of willow weaving or with pine cones and twigs.
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| Pine cone reindeer, Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/347692033711650729/ |
If you want to
take it up a level, Arran our Education Team Leader informs me that he has previously made
reindeer out of blocks of wood and twigs / small branches, like the ones below.
I think they’re pretty awesome!
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| Log reindeer, Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/357614026644245698/ |
Meanwhile,
Jenny our Growing Confidence Project Officer brings some ideas from the country
renowned for its Christmas celebrations – Germany – which I might attempt to
make this year.
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| Christmas tree ladder hanging - a great craft activity to do with children, Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/134685845082312141/ |
I hope you can appreciate
all the different natural decorations you can start making to brighten up your
homes this Christmas – many of which will adorn our centre (keep an eye out on
twitter for photos!). The last and, perhaps most important decoration in any
home or Field Centre is of course the Christmas tree! Like me, you may have
been struggling with the thorny – some might say needley! – issue of natural or
artificial tree for some time. Here is a link to a BBC News article on the subject.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38129835. It seems that to ensure your artificial
tree has a lower carbon footprint you need to use it for at least 10 years,
otherwise a natural tree is best. Of course there are other issues like how
biodegradable each is.
You may be asking,
like I was before joining FSC Preston Montford, where we get the material from to
make these wreaths and other wonderful decorations. Well, I’m glad you asked,
because winter is the perfect time of year to undertake a number of
conservation tasks which contribute to both encouraging new shoots and
wonderful materials for Christmas decorations – as well as other objects like
fences. I am talking about coppicing, which we started a couple of weeks ago
with our Duke of Edinburgh Award volunteers. They have enjoyed coppicing both
hazel and willow, some of which can be used in decorations, some in fencing and
the rest is being used to supplement our dead hedge. A dead hedge is a hedge
sized barrier made from dead wood and provides a perfect home for insects,
fungi and small mammals and birds and thus is an important biodiversity
enhancing feature in our grounds. Winter is an important time to coppice as the
trees are dormant and so it reduces the chance of stump mortality as well as
providing the time in spring for new shoots to grow next year and over time
develop into wood we can use for some of the uses already outlined.
If you want to
get into the spirit of winter and have a go at creating your very own wintery
art, we have a fabulous upcoming course on Saturday 7th December led
by Sara Lanyon and Mike Ashton. You will have the opportunity to make gifts,
decorations and just have a fun time. Follow this link to find out more. https://www.field-studies-council.org/courses-and-experiences/opportunities-for-16-25-year-olds/growing-confidence/
Whilst you
nature lovers may be lamenting the colder weather, longer nights, and the loss
of the spring and summer flowers, take festive joy in getting close to nature
this winter with some wonderful, natural, Christmas decorations.
Phil Wilson
(Tutor)
