Happy samhain

It's been a very autumnal couple of days at Heartwood this week. We raked quite a few leaves to prevent the tracks becoming all mushy with leaf compost as they begin their next life stage of decay, before they can nourish the next growing season in the spring next year. I suspect there'll be quite a few more leaves to rake before the seasons out. We use these leaves to create a powerful soil improver called biochar when mixed with horse manure and charcoal fines (an otherwise waste product from the bbq charcoal we make).

This process is apparently quite an ancient one and in recent years it has been something that Mark's mum Bridget and her friends have been  making, for use on their gardens and allotments, with the intention of improving the soil quality. Legend has it that Bridget was known for having the most productive allotment of all apparently. If anyone is interested, please get in touch.

We have also been making more of those beautiful acorn shaped oak chopping boards, one student has been working on making a coffee table for his parents and we went for a nice couple of walks with Barley the dog.

We took time in the afternoons to acknowledge Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival that marks the midway point between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. This is said to be a time when people would gather and spend time remembering and celebrating their ancestors. With this in mind, the staff would like to take this moment to honour and remember Bridget, Mark's mum who sadly died this year after a long and joy filled life of working with and connecting with people. She loved spending time in the woods. It was her ''happy place'' as it is for so many of us.

As a day service for Adults with additional needs, please get in touch if you know of anyone interested in joining us. Otherwise, Happy Samhain/Halloween and thanks for following us.