The Spinney

General information

The Bythams Spinney is situated west of the B1176 road to Creeton, on the edge of the village of Little Bytham, Lincolnshire NG33 4PX. The site covers an area of approximately 5.5 acres and provides a combination of open and woodland space for the pleasure of local people. It is managed by a local charity: The Bythams Woodland Trust.

Admission is FREE, dawn until dusk, 365 days a year (but we always welcome donations, eg by text to 70070 BWTG11 £5 – or any other amount!).

Over the last few years, within what was, in 2000, an overgrown wilderness, glades have been cleared and new native trees and shrubs planted. The site boundary has been fenced and native hedgerows planted. Environmentally-sympathetic play equipment has been installed, including a zip-wire, slides, swings, see-saw, scramble nets and a fenced-off toddler area with playhouse. We have established a living roof and rainwater harvesting system, planted a heritage orchard and created a sensory garden.

The Meadow
The former arable field adjoining the Spinney to the north also belongs to the BWT and part of it is available for overflow parking. The rest is being managed to encourage a diversity of plants (much as an old-fashioned hay meadow would have been), to bring in a greater range of insects and other invertebrates, which will in turn encourage a greater range of birds and other wildlife. Users of the Spinney are also allowed free access to the Meadow.

History
The Spinney Project was originally conceived by Patrick Candler as a play space linked with the local Bythams Primary School. A bid was submitted, with the backing of the Parish Council, to the Millennium Commission who were keen to fund local projects that demonstrated the involvement of young people and the local community. As it was a rural project it scored "bonus points" with the Commission who decided to awarded the Project a grant.

The first task was to create a new car park and an access road from the B1176. A path was then constructed around the site allowing access for wheelchair users and prams, push-chairs and buggies. Picnic areas were established and rubbish bins installed.

Play equipment was professionally installed by contractors in several phases as grants became available and funds allowed. Apart from that, all work on the site has been done by small groups of local volunteers who have been working on the site at weekends since the early spring of 2003, gradually turning the area into a valuable resource for the local community and school. We always welcome new volunteers!