Volunteers at an Annesley Wood-house conservation group are calling for others to get involved in a project to protect a woodland site in the area.

Work is going on at Forest Road Nature Area, now known as Oak Wood Meadows, to make it an outstanding ecological site for residents, Sherwood Business Park employees and Annesley Primary School.

Six volunteers (above) from lifestyle financial planning firm Hampshire Hill Group Ltd, Diamond Avenue, Kirkby, helped the removal of plastic tree guards at the Ashfield District Council woodland. The guards provided protection during the initial stages of sapling growth.

Now residents and other local businesses are being urged to get involved.

Peter Olko, acting chairman of the Volunteer Friends Of Oak Wood Meadows, said: “The ultimate long-term aim in conjunction with the council is to make this not only an outstanding ecological site for use by residents and employees of the business park, but also an outdoor educational classroom for school children.”

Annesley Primary head Dawn Roberts, who has attended several working parties, said: “This gives the school a fantastic opportunity to focus on the marvels of nature and to incorporate educational improvements within an outside environment.

“We look forward to activities such as bird and wildflower identification along with butterfly counts, where we can incorporate numeracy, mapping and recording skills to assist our pupils’ education as well as allowing them to be immersed in local nature.”

Coun Tim Brown, portfolio holder for environment, said: “Ashfield District Council is extremely grateful for the hard work and dedication demonstrated by the volunteer Friends Of Oak Wood Meadows in organising working parties to remove the redundant tree guards from a great number of plantation trees on the site.

“The council sees this as vital work. It has proved to be time-consuming, something that would have taken the council months to achieve.

“It has been carried out at eight working-party sessions and there are still many more (tree guards) to remove.”

Sue Tucker, from Hampshire Hill Group Ltd, said: “As a company we take our corporate social responsibility very seriously. It is so important that businesses support these local projects to help improve society in some way.”

As well as working parties, the group plan activities such as bird, bat and wildflower identification events.

To find out more about the group and how to volunteer to help, call Peter on 01623 759589. Committee members are also required.

The next working party is on 17th December, meet outside the fish and chip shop on Forest Road, at 10am. It aims to finish for 12.30pm.