30 minutes of uninterrupted dawn chorus Hazel Hill Wood, recorded at the end of March. Hazel Hill is woodland nature reserve and education centre helping frontline staff develop resilience and wellbeing through connection with nature. While people are prevented from visiting the woods during lockdown, the team are working on ways to bring the wood to them during lockdown. Listening suggestions:
- Early in the morning
- Over breakfast
- In the background while you work
- To clear your mind at the end of work
- Late at night as you drift off to sleep
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Sticher or download from the inline player above.
Background to this recording
The sound you can hear in the background is the dawn chorus at Hazel Hill Woods, near Salisbury, recorded at the end of March by Charley Miller, Hazel Hill’s Wood conservation and education coordinator.
The woodland is a place that I, my family and friends have had a connection for many years, and is a place that I have come to love deeply.
Hazel Hill Trust is the charity set up to look after the woods and use it as a place to promote sustainability, resilience and wellbeing. Founded by social entrepreneur Alan Heeks, the charity works with front line staff, such as NHS workers and young carers to help them raise their personal and team resilience and well-being.
The charity also runs a fantastic conservation programme, led by Charley and her team of volunteers, who are continuing to transform this once commercial woodland into a rich habitat for flora, fauna and humans too.
Next month I have the great honour of taking over from Alan as chair of Hazel Hill trust and working with the team to carry on protecting this special place and developing its programme of education and conservation work.
To celebrate, and to help alleviate the confinement of lockdown, I wanted to bring the sounds of the wood to you. While the lockdown continues, the charity is developing a series of online activities to help bring the wood to people’s home.
One day I hope you can come and join us down at the woods. In the meantime let these sounds take you there in spirit.
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