Alison's Wood Takes Shape on Acton Green
Local woman's wish to have forest planted in her memory is being fulfilled
Work progressing on Alison's wood. Picture: Abundance London
Planting began this week for Alison’s Wood, a new forested area on Acton Green Common in Chiswick.
The project aims to fulfil the wishes of local woman Alison Wood who lived in the area for many years and brought up her family here.
Two years ago she received a terminal diagnosis and, as she put her affairs in order, she said that one of the things she most wanted to do was plant a forest.
This was partly to enhance the local environment and for the benefit of the broader community but also so that so that her family, husband Richard Atkinson and daughters Lucy and Polly, would have somewhere to come and remember her.
After identifying the right site, she contacted Abundance London and who were able to liaise with Ealing Council to find the ideal place for her and work together on the kind of woodland to be planted. Before her death Alison was shown the planting plans and this week the first trees and plants went in.
Alison Wood
Dr Karen Liebreich MBE of Abundance London said, "We are delighted to have been able to help bring this project to realisation (and of course we are always happy to improve the biodiversity and beauty of Chiswick).
"The pun of planting Alison Wood’s Wood is not lost on us, as it was not lost on her. Although we only knew Alison in her final months it was a pleasure and a privilege to work with such an amazing person, and we are only sorry it was in such circumstances and for such a short time.
Alison’s Wood will take shape over the next few months and years, and develop into a valuable, tranquil and beautiful part of Chiswick. Ealing Council, and especially their designer Tom Jennings, have been wonderfully welcoming to the idea."
The woodland will mainly comprise birch and pear trees, underplanted with cyclamen, foxgloves, bluebells, ferns and geraniums, as well as hosts of spring bulbs. The area is sheltered from the road by a series of hibernacula, log piles that provide an embracing structure and – more importantly – overwintering places for wildlife, and there will be a couple of new benches for visitors. Wildflower areas will be left to naturalise.
Volunteers are helping with the project. Picture: Abundance London
It is hoped that over the years the woodland will evolve and grow until Alison’s Wood is a natural and mature part of Chiswick, long after the current inhabitants have passed on.
Dr Liebreich added, "The work will be starting shortly to create a peaceful woodland haven; situating plants carefully about this area will create a floral woodland glade where the many blooms will be providing important food for an array of pollinating insects. The log piles and hibernaculum will provide a safe haven for a whole host of bugs and creatures to dwell and hibernate. We hope everyone enjoys this woodland garden, very kindly donated by the family of a special lady, Welcome to Alison’s Wood."
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November 7, 2021