We are Mycelia

Nailsworth Midsummer Tree Walk. Photo by Richard Keating, hanging by Rachel McDonnell.

One of a cluster of projects around trees and woodlands, “We are Mycelia” began in Nailsworth in support of the Nailsworth Town Council’s tree planting programme over the coming years. The 2021 midsummer walk shown here encouraged participants to respond to plans for planting the King George Vth playing fields. People’s ideas were also sought at a Wassail event later in the year. In 2022 further walks were led around the playing fields to collect ideas linked to the Nailsworth’s Festival of Words.

Walks and School project words collected as part of the Festival of Words at Three Storeys Gallery, July 2022

Additional wild fruit trees were planted in the Norton Wood Community Orchard and additional trees planted in early 2022 by the orchard group. Walks were also led to consider further restocking of the adjacent wood.

Another aspect of the project is to encourage people to care for the trees that have been planted and the associated habitat. A specific example of this were school workshops with years 3 and 4 at Nailsworth School to care for trees planted on the common land opposite the school.

“Nature Sticks” made by Nailsworth School’s years 3 and 4, June 2022.
The school developed a rota for watering the trees until the end of term, watering a few times each week