A small group of off-roaders continue to carve out illegal tracks in an area of ancient woodland in the Surrey Hills. In response, off-road user groups, residents and landowners are now united in taking action by reporting this illegal activity to the police to assist them in prosecuting the offenders.

Green Lane Association Director and Surrey local Stuart Boreham said “It’s always infuriating to see the selfish actions of a few damaging the countryside we all love. Driving unsurfaced roads and byways, often called ‘green laning’, is a hobby enjoyed across the nation by our 5000 members and many others. We see drivers of all ages, races, and backgrounds, able-bodied and less able, peacefully using their vehicles to access the countryside. The Green Lane Association will, as here, always support councils and local groups to promote and enforce safe legal laning for all. I look forward to action being taken against the vandals.”

Kristina Kenworthy, Chair of the Surrey Hills Byways Working Group said “I am saddened and shocked by the ongoing abuse by a small group of off-road users, inflicting such destruction in the bluebell woods and special landscape of the Surrey Hills. This is not a new issue, but I am pleased to see the collaboration between residents, community groups, local councils and organisations and the Surrey Police to take serious action. A huge thank you to Surrey County Council for all their efforts so far in supporting the mitigation of this issue.”

Chairman of Mole Valley District Council, Paul Potter, who is a keen motorcyclist and advocate for safe and respectful riding along our green lanes, and Claire Malcomson, member of the Surrey Hills Board and Climate Change Cabinet Member for Mole Valley, with residents and concerned stakeholders have been attending regular meetings in the Ranmore area to try to save our green lanes. Some parts of these ancient byways are being destroyed by what could be just a handful of off roaders breaking the law through trespass, churning up the land and destroying the special woodlands in the Surrey Hills. This creates deep ruts in the tracks that then fill with water and make them impassable.

These meetings have welcomed the support of Surrey Police to help take serious action against this illegal and destructive activity.

Cllr Malcomson said, “We are so very thankful to the police for taking this seriously and supporting the residents. We want to also thank the Surrey Hills National Landscape for organising and funding the initiative. This will then deter the behaviour, supply evidence of who is doing this and identify the culprits. What a team.”

Damage by Off Road vehicles at Ranmore Common in the Surrey Hills National Landscape.

The Surrey Hills National Landscape is one of 46 nationally protected landscapes in the UK, having equal landscape status and protection to a national park. The Surrey Hills was designated on 8 May 1958, which makes it the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (now known as National Landscapes) in southern England to be designated (the first was the Gower Peninsula near Swansea in 1956). The Surrey Hills National Landscape stretches across a quarter of the county of Surrey and includes the chalk slopes of the North Downs from Farnham in the west to Oxted in the east, and extends south to the deeply wooded Greensand Hills which rise in Haslemere. The Surrey Hills Board is a Joint Advisory Committee which is funded by Defra, the National Trust, Surrey County Council and the local authorities within the Surrey Hills area. For further information on the Surrey Hills please visit www.surreyhills.org

On Thursday 26 January we visited The Guildford Institute, an old and venerable building just off North Street, where after climbing many stairs (or taking the lift), we enjoyed learning about our Surrey area past and present.

The sell-out lecture was delivered by Lorraine Spindler a Military Historian, Genealogist, ex curator of Leatherhead Museum and all-round knowledgeable Surrey lady.

The informal talk was accompanied by slides and the clever technology that was able to pinpoint areas where past architecture could be uncovered beneath the various guises of different stages and eras of modernity.

Guests attending were encouraged to ask questions and there were many “oh I remember” comments on the nearer past about buildings which are long gone or replaced. We were also shown projected images of our towns planned modernisation. There was not a great deal of enthusiasm shown for future “improvements”!

Suitably educated and in need of refreshment we all trooped into the Institute dining room for tea, coffee, and an array of homemade cakes. Here we were beautifully entertained by the accomplished Trevor who played semi classical and “music from the movies” tunes on the old and perfectly preserved Bechstein piano.

The Institute has proved to be a good venue offering many possibilities for future events…..watch this space!

Heather Aitken

Earlier this month, Year BG from the halow project in Guildford enjoyed 2 fantastic days working with the Surrey Hills Society where they were tree popping and planting fruit trees.

The young people were pleased by the stunning views, friendly team and the lovely sunshine we had, and couldn’t have asked for a better location to be working in.

On the Tuesday the young people were removing and cleaning Hawthorn from the hills and then on Wednesday were planting trees in Puttenham bonfire field to be part of the new orchard. Both days required new skills and patience which the young people showed plenty of!

Having never come across a tree popping tool before, the young people very quickly learnt and developed lots of new skills and had to use teamwork and perseverance to complete the tasks. They loved working with the other volunteers and were even very kindly treated to lunch which went down a storm!

They are very keen to work with Surrey Hills Society again and look forward to possible opportunities in the future.

Written by Hannah Jackson from Halow

Following the success of our first tree planting event back in February, it was time to get our wellies out again for some more conservation and planting.

On Friday 11 November, over 100 employees from our Guildford office got together to help plant hedgerows and wildflowers at West Horsley Place. The sun shone all day and we loved getting out of the office to use our volunteering hours. We planted 870 hedgerow plants along 250 metres of pathway and created several large wildflower beds.

The day was a great success thanks to the team at Surrey Hills who organised the day so that we could be as productive as possible. They explained how the work needed to be done as well as how it would help preserve the local environment so everyone felt that it was a really worthwhile day out of the office. We are looking forward to planning more events together in the future.

Jessica Pike
Marketing Assistant for Brand and CSR Allianz

This was as part of the Surrey Hills Champions programme in partnership with Surrey Hills Enterprises.

On a cold November day over 30 members found the perfect place to keep warm! Adam Aaronson treated us to a fascinating display of specialist glassmaking at his West Horsley Studio. Adam told how he had learnt his trade in Stoke having originally been encouraged to study law by his father!

Adam has been at the heart of British studio glass for nearly 40 years, first running galleries dedicated to glass art and subsequently as a glass artist in his own right, learning how to create glass art later in his career and developing self-taught methods. Adam is a skilled maker and a truly diverse and talented glass artist. He is constantly experimenting with techniques and exploring new ideas, including the potential of large sculptural works designed for the outdoors.

We watched spellbound as he expertly fashioned several separate pieces including a glass, a bowl and a small bird. Several of our members were so enthused that they have signed up for one of the several classes that Adam runs regularly. “Anyone over 9 years old can do it!” Adam assured us.

Halfway through we enjoyed tea and cakes which gave us the opportunity to look at the extensive samples of Adam’s work available for sale with a new appreciation of the skill and effort involved in even the simple pieces.

None of us wanted to exchange the warmth of the furnaces for the cold outside at the end of an excellent afternoon!

Gordon Jackson

Many people will have heard of the Dorking Cockerel but few will have any knowledge of the “Chilworth Chicken”.

This is the affectionate nickname given to a piece of topiary beside the North Downs railway line and which forms a moving memorial to a train guard who lost his life in a tragic incident over 130 years ago.

On Monday 29 February 1892 – a leap year – a goods train travelling from Redhill to Reading crashed at about 10:40pm, throwing the guard, Henry Wicks, to his death. The train, led by two locomotives, had come apart because of a broken goods wagon coupling.

The front portion of the train continued down the gradient and was eventually stopped by the two locomotives. The rear wagons caught up and collided with the front section between Gomshall and Chilworth. The impact threw 30 wagons down the embankment and derailed the vehicle’s front nine wagons and the second locomotive.

Henry, age 52, was found at first light lying on the embankment. He had worked on the railway for 30 years and left behind his wife, a son and daughter-in-law, Jessie Wicks. Jessie was especially upset by the loss of her father-in-law, and was instrumental in the planting of his lineside memorial and asking railway workers to care for it.

Rather than a chicken, the topiary is pheasant-shaped. It sits on a wide chair, symbolising Henry’s peace, and is also known as Jessie’s Seat. Former railway operators maintained it until 1989 and, since then, volunteers have looked after it.

The “Chilworth Chicken” is still there but blink and you’ll miss it! Unfortunately, it’s not accessible from a public route and sits very close to the track. However, to keep the memory alive, a special memorial train was run on the anniversary in 2020. There are now plans to place a poster cabinet at Chilworth Station to explain the story, along with a replica of the train headboard used on the commemoration event.

Ken Bare

For the last twelve years, The Woodland Trust has held an annual competition to select the Tree of the Year.  The 2022 winner has just been announced and we are proud to note that the winning tree is a venerable Yew at Waverley Abbey near Farnham – a destination within the Surrey Hills that the Society has visited on a number of occasions.

As you can see from the various photos, it is a beautiful tree with roots that sprawl out above ground before plunging into the earth. Not only is it a wonderful tree but it fits so well into the landscape and ruins of Waverley Abbey – the first Cistercian Monastery established in England

The Yew won with an impressive 16% of the vote. In second place was The Portal Tree Rowan in Midlothian which took 11% of the vote. Third place went to Derbyshire’s Layering Horse Chestnut, with 10% of the votes.

This national Tree of The Year competition aims to highlight how vital trees are for our landscapes and our lives whilst celebrating ancient trees that have withstood the test of time. Each is a constant safe haven for wildlife in a changing and sometimes disconnected landscape. The Waverley Abbey Yew proved to be a wonderful example of how important trees are. Its multi-stemmed form, dotted with holes, crevices and areas of decay, is an invaluable habitat for wildlife.

Having won the UK vote, this tree now becomes the national entry for European Tree of the Year 2023.  Now that really would be an accolade!

More details may be found on the Woodland Trust website.

During October Half Term, we teamed up with Leatherhead Youth Project to carry out two days of practical conservation work as part of their ‘Making Good Project’. This is a project which aims to get young people engaged with communities through positive action projects.

The first day was spent at Newlands Corner, which is part of Surrey County Council’s Countryside Estate. This area is made up of both woodland and chalk grassland, which is very important for insects particularly butterflies. Here, the group met the Surrey Choices Growth Team. The Growth Team comprises of a group of adults with learning disabilities who carry out important conservation and access work across Surrey. They have been working up at Newlands Corner, to clear encroaching bramble and scrub from the grassland to encourage its restoration but also to help open up the viewpoint and create more places for people to sit.

The group split into two, one group off to tackle the scrub with the Growth Team, while the other half of the group, worked on assembling a bug hotel using recycled signposts and wood from the countryside.

They did this in the recently opened Discovery Centre, which was a brilliant space and great for the group to experience. After a scenic lunch and quick mooch around the Dormice Trail, the groups switched over so that everyone could experience both activities.

On the second day, the young people met us at Banstead Heath for a day of tree popping alongside the Banstead Commons Conservators. Tree popping involves removing small unwanted trees by the root, to avoid them growing back. This is done by using a tree popper – essentially a giant lever which grips the tree in its jaw.

We were really impressed by the grit and determination of everyone and the competition to see who could achieve the longest root was met with enthusiasm. We were also very lucky to see an adder basking in the late October sunshine, proof that the work we were doing was important for the heathland species that live there.

It was great for the young people to work in partnership with three different organisations, learning new skills and enjoying being together outside.

It was particularly rewarding for the Growth Team to be able to show the group from Leatherhead Youth Project what they do and for them to work together in partnership for the benefit of people and nature.

Thank you so much to everybody that was involved in making the two days a success!

Christa Emmett
Project and Volunteer Coordinator