Festive December Wishes…

Hi everyone!

The first snow has arrived and the anticipation and excitement of the forthcoming Yuletide celebrations abound! Now is the time for bunkering down around lit fires to contemplate what has passed this year and conserving energy for the winter months ahead. We wish you all a happy, healthy and peaceful time gathering with family and friends over the festive period…

Nature Gift

If you want to give something a little different to someone for Christmas, our Nature Gift is perfect. It doesn’t involve acquiring more stuff and it will help to address climate change and habitat loss. Our Nature Gift landscape projects include creating wildflower meadows, tree planting, bird boxes and pond creation.

Selwood Forest

The Selwood Forest in ancient times covered an area from Frome in the north to Bruton in the south and from Castle Cary in the west to Warminster in the east. We’re members of the Forest of Selwood Group, an organisation that brings together farmers, landowners and other interested parties to collaborate on nature-friendly land management across this old woodland area, thereby having a landscape scale effect. We recently met at Marston Park to look at some of the ancient parkland oaks that still stand there. Such beautiful and majestic old matriarchs… 

All About The Yarn

Each month we feature one of our lovely creatives who are based at Chesterblade Hills. This month we’re featuring All About The Yarn who offer courses in knitting, crochet and other yarn based crafts such as needle punching, needle felting and spinning. They have courses for beginners and for those looking to build on their existing skills. Classes are for groups of up to 6 friends – birthday treats, hen-dos, etc. 

Website: www.allabouttheyarn.co.uk

Email: info@allabouttheyarn.co.uk

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter: AllAboutTheYarn

 Upcoming courses:
10th January Beginners Crochet: Granny Squares
14th January Beginners Knitting: Get Started – Make a Super Chunky Wool Scarf
17th January Finishing Techniques for Knitters
28th January Beginners Knitting: Purl Stitch and Beyond – Make a Super Chunky Wool Hat
4th February: Intermediate Knitting: Stranded Colourwork (Fair Isle) – Wrist Warmers
7th February: Next Steps Crochet: Crochet Heart Bunting
19th February: Beginners Needle Punching with Sara Moore of Whole Punching: Make a Hoop Wall Hanging
28th February: Intermediate Crochet: Crochet Fingerless Mitts
4th March: Next Steps Knitting: Using Circular Needles – Make a Chunky Wool Cowl
7th March: Beginners Crochet: Granny Squares

Easy Fundraising

We’re now signed up as a cause with Easy Fundraising. This is a way to raise funds for good causes, at no cost, every time you shop online in the lead up to Christmas. This helps us achieve our wider environmental goals on the land to help hold carbon and water in the landscape and create more wildlife habitat. To sign up as a Chesterblade Hills supporter, click here. It will cost you nothing and will help us get good stuff done.

Tree Planting

We’ll be getting going this month with our winter tree sapling planting. This will include a host of oak and horse chestnut saplings we’ve home grown from last year’s acorns and conkers. Just as well we grew what we could then as this year there are very few acorns around!

Green Heart & Wild Camping Bookings

We particularly specialise in group bookings at our two gathering spaces, so if you’re planning a family and friends gathering, a wedding, birthday or anniversary, get in touch as bookings are coming in now for dates through all of next year. It’s a beautiful and tranquil location out in the fresh air, perfect for these times when gathering indoors can be subject to restrictions and cancellation due to the pandemic… 

Caravan/Campervan/Vehicle Storage & Workspaces

We now have facilities available to store undercover vehicles and towing items in secure premises on the farm throughout the year. We also have workspaces available for working on vehicles. Contact Ed on 07966 510552 or email at chesterbladehills@gmail.com for more details.

The Cosmic Calendar

On Wednesday we’ll be celebrating the Yule Winter Solstice. Yule is one of the oldest pagan winter solstice holidays. It has been celebrated for thousands of years by various cultures, with a wide variety of rituals and traditions. Yule is a time to celebrate the hope of returning light and life. Like at every solstice, we are reminded how darkness must exist before dawn can break through once more into lightness.