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
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."

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.

 

November 7, 2021