Bourne Conservation Group.
• Work done - Footpath in collaboration with SCC ROW, task at Tilford with RSPB and work on an Otter holt.
• Bat talk / demonstration of use of bat detectors by Steve Bailey.
• Membership numbers now 15
• Are having a stand at the Bourne Show in July

Rowhill Conservation Volunteers
• Work done - mainly coppicing
• Events - 'Really Rural Crafts' with BVCP in March and Roy organised and ran a Tool / Country Crafts demonstration weekend which proved to be very popular.
• The problem with deer damage to coppiced stools was bad last year with little or no successful re-growth. The group is looking into grants for fencing as this seems to be the only viable option.
• Summer tasks - have a lot of footpath repairs, are getting more cyclists using the path and causing damage to it.

Cove Brook Greenway Group
• The new leaflet is nearly finished and hope that it will be available soon.

Friends of Frimley Fuel Allotments
• Have had 6 Duke of Edinburgh volunteers have been working for them regularly
• Have had one new volunteer who has come along regularly
• Focus for the future: Advertising and recruitment

Tongham Community Woodland
• Most of the work funded by the Forestry Commission Woodland Improvement Grant has now been completed: paths have been put in, fences repaired and reinstated, two large kissing gates installed at site entrances, mountains of rubbish removed.
• The regular volunteers are now working towards setting themselves up as a group, have decided to call themselves: Tongham Woodland Improvement Group or TWIG for short.

Last Year: The 'feedback' meeting last November came to the conclusion that overall:
• Go Wild had been worthwhile
• Would like to repeat it. Felt that it was worth doing every year if possible as this way it would gradually become more familiar and would build profile with time.
• If are going to do again, need to stick with September, it worked well and fits in with groups which only work during the winter season.
• Need to include all the groups in order to get a critical mass
• It would be good to be able to focus on a number of the groups for particular attention, perhaps as part of overall publicity.
• SD to consult at BVCP to see if is possible to hold as an annual event. (agreed)

This Year - What:
• The meeting agreed that the format for the month would stay the same. However, rather than concentrating solely on Conservation Volunteering Tasks it was proposed that the month should have a theme - AUTUMN IN THE COUNTRYSIDE.
• Each site holds an event: a walk, talk, teddy bears picnic, pond dipping, kite flying, bat walk, bird watch, or it could be a volunteer task. The aim being to get people out and on to the site. This format widens the potential audience for the event but still enables groups to 'sell' volunteering to those who visit / attend.

This Year - How: The meeting ran through the various publicity that was done last year and agreed to continue with:
• Photoshoot for launch. SD to arrange a date in August.
• A4 Flier / Posters. On basically the same format as last year, perhaps not quite so many though.
• Banners SD to find sites where the banners can be placed from mid-August and left in place until the end of September.
• Boards SD to liaise with libraries to find places to use the boards as displays in August / September.
• Press coverage. SD to arrange initial press shot. Individual groups to do press releases based around their own events, but tying into Go Wild
• Other publicity. Both BVCP and Groups to follow up local web sites, in Local Authority publications, on the radio etc.
• Local Groups Leaflet. SD to see if is enough in budget to produce a colour 'Local Groups' leaflet based on the Go Wild Newsletter of last year which could be distributed as part of the event.

DON'T FORGET: Friends of Brickfields Country Park, Wildlife Fun Day, Sunday 27th June

Publicity. BVCP would be pleased to advertise any events for local groups on their web site. Als/o we do quarterly mail outs (roughly mid March, mid June, mid Sept and mid Dec) with newsletters and task lists to 'like minded' people around the valley so if you have something that is coming up that you would like us to send out as well, please let us know.

Training. BVCP hope to arrange some training this summer, particularly Strimmer and Volunteer Leadership. If there is anything else you are interested in, please let us know.