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The Hub
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Guardians UK is a registered charity in England and Wales.

We are based in the London Borough of Southwark,  Pulborough, West Sussex and Ceredigion, Wales

 

Our mission:

Education
Health
Nature protection

Advance forest-based research and education

aimed at climate action, sustainability

and nature protection 

Promote health and healthy recreation by facilitating public access to green spaces through forest-related activities 

Support protection and regeneration of native woodland  in Southeast London and West Sussex 

Our Hubs

Southeast London

Grange Lane Tree Rescue Hub

Located on a landstrip between Dulwich Wood and Grange Lane Allotments, Grange Lane Tree Rescue Hub is a 0.8 hectare area we protect and regenerate. Leased by GWW from the Dulwich Estate, the Hub contains a shed, a hut, several picnic tables, a community space, an eco-loo and a small pond. The land supports a large tree nursery containing 1,500 native trees, which we are growing from seed or which we have rescued from nearby lands, as well as an orchard and herb garden. We are also working on the regeneration of a dumpsite known as Plot 20, where we plan to create a Soil School.

South Downs National Park

Old Beard's Wood

Located near Pulborough in West Sussex, we are custodians of this woodland. This site is dedicated for immersive learning, educational activities, wellbeing and environmental work.

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 Tricorn and Turret Woods 

Pen-y-Gaer, Rhydlewis, Llandysul

Transitional site converting from Sitka spruce to native broadleaf woodland with heathland glades, potential site for marsh fritillary butterfly and Celtic rainforest restoration

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Guardians of the Great North Wood

Our London hub is located within the historic Great North Wood, which is the nearest ancestral woodland to any capital city centre in Europe, and a unique natural heritage, home to rare native species like the Jersey Tiger Moth, Wood anemone, Whitebeam and several species of bats.

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Many species of special scientific interest can be found in Dulwich Woods and Sydenham Hill Woods-- the largest remaining fragment of the Great North Wood. From left to right : Common Whitebeam (Sorbus aria), Jersey Tiger Moth (Euplagia quadripunctaria) and Wood Anemone (Anemonoides nemorosa).

We are working on the restoration of 9 hectares of sitka spruce plantation transitioning to Atlantic rainforest in Wales. The Celtic rainforest is the only rainforest system in the British Isles, and only 1% of its historic coverage remains.

Celtic Atlantic Rainforest restoration

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We are restoring mosaic habitat, especially rhos meadows with Devil's bit-scabious, a plant essential for the life cycle of endangered species such as the fritillary butterfly. The heath fritillary (sometimes nicknamed the “woodman’s follower”) was almost extinct in the UK in the 1980s and is  officially a UK Priority Species.

Mosaic habitat restoration for fritillary butterfly

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Minority-led restoration in London, West Sussex and Ceredigion

We work with local communities and minorities in our three UK sites, especially with Gypsy, Romani and Traveller community members, Latino community members, Black and Afro-diasporic communities as well as Iranian and Afghan migrants and refugees.

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About the Great North Wood
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Community
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Great North Wood Heritage Trail Campaign

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Grange Lane Tree Nursery

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Gypsy Heritage of the Great North Wood

Funded by Heritage Fund

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African Heritage

Funded by Southwark Council

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Peck River Clean-ups

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Treemoot Festival

Funded by Arts Council England

Soundwood
London and Leeds

Funded by  Leeds Conservatoire and University of Manchester

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Little Guardians

Heritage Walks

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The Weald Pilgrimages

Volunteering

We have volunteer days every two months where we invite members of the community, or anyone intersted, to spend a Saturday with us at the Tree Rescue Hub working on the land, learning about trees, soils, water and the ricj biodiversity of the Great North Wood.

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Reforestation 

The thousands of trees we grow at our London hubs are intended to be planted on sites dedicated to reforestaton and regeneraton across the UK, in both urban and rural settings.

 

Two dedicates sites, both considered priority habitats under the priority habitat UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) and Annex I  EU Habitats Directive, are our main reforestation focus.

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Pen Garn-Wen (Wales)
Title no.: CYM596072


Location: latitude & longitude 52.118993, -4.377412 
Size: 9 hectares 
Clearfelled Sitka spruce plantation in transition to native broadleaf woodland with heathland glades, potential site for marsh fritillary butterfly (UK and European threatened species, protected under Appendix 2 of Berne Convention).

 

We are restoring this site for Atlantic ("Celtic") temperate rainforest/oak woodland restoration. r

NVC types:
W17 Quercus petraea – Betula pubescens – Dicranum majus woodland on acid soils.


 

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 Old Beards Wood

 

Lowland beech and yew woodland” — a priority habitat under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) and Annex I habitat Asperulo-Fagetum beech forests under the EU Habitats Directive.2.

 

Beech forest in West Sussex, South Downs area, are UK National Vegetation Classification (NVC):

W12 Fagus sylvatica – Mercurialis perennis woodland (Beech with dog's mercury) – common on calcareous soils.

 

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Pietra Martin-Handfest

Participación Juvenil (Pasante)

 

Pietra es una activista juvenil brasileña, fundadora y directora de The Mangrove Collective, con sede en Rávena, Italia.

 

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Leonard Mindore

Socio regional, Kenia

 

Leonard es un líder de la comunidad indígena Ogiek y defensor de la tierra, director de PRO-HOME y gerente de Mau Forest Tree Rescue Hub.

 

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Dr Nicolas Salazar Sutil

Director ejecutivo

Nic es un ambientalista chileno y británico, defensor de la tierra y de los derechos de las minorías. Es el administrador de Floresta Portelas, una reserva forestal de 3 hectáreas en Beira Baixa, Portugal.

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Dr Mercy Ette

Presidente del Consejo de Administración

Mercy es una académica británica y nigeriana especializada en medios de comunicación, conflictos y derechos de las mujeres. Es profesora titular en la Universidad de Newcastle.

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Lucimar Prata

Oficial Jurídico

 

Lucimar es abogada y activista de derechos humanos. Es cofundadora del bufete Prata & Lacerda Advogadas, con sede en Manaos, Amazonia brasileña.

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Dr Maria Rovisco

Junta directiva

 

María es una científica social portuguesa residente en el Reino Unido. Es profesora asociada de Sociología en la Universidad de Leeds.

 

 

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Bob Jacques

Socio regional, Gales

Bob es un científico del suelo, ex investigador de la Universidad de Aberystwyth y guardián de Pencoedtop, un bosque regenerativo de 9 hectáreas en Ceredigion, Gales.

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Lee Walther

Director, Guardianes del Reino Unido

 

Lee es guardabosques y guardián de Old Beard's Wood, un bosque nativo de 4 acres en el Parque Nacional South Downs, West Sussex.

 

 

Guardians UK is a registered charity in England and Wales

Charity Number 1214169

Grange Lane Tree Rescue Hub

Woodhall

Plot 20 Grange Lane

London

SE21 7LH

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Pencoedtop

Pantybryn

Henllan

Llandysul

SA44 5TY

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