The Robert and Marjorie Steel Memorial Grant is a substantial one-off award made annually by The Steel Charitable Trust. It is by invitation only and not subject to open application.
In 2019, the award – £100,000 that year – was made to the Woodland Trust towards an ambitious four-year tree-planting project to extend woodland in Bedfordshire.
The Woodland Trust had recently bought 94 acres of former agricultural grassland – including a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – adjacent to King’s Wood, ancient woodland owned by Central Bedfordshire Council just outside Ampthill and within view of the ruins of historic Houghton House. Working in partnership with the Forest of Marston Vale Trust, the Woodland Trust planned to create a new woodland as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative, in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The project’s aims were to create a new native woodland, protect existing ancient woodland from the effects of climate change, improve wildlife habitat areas and connectivity, enhance access to woodland and the SSSI, and engage the community in planting and on-going management. Native species, grown and sourced in the UK, were chosen to reflect those in the neighbouring woodland. Varieties such as oak, hornbeam, wild cherry and alder are all able to tolerate the higher temperatures anticipated as a result of climate change.
Of course, like organisations everywhere, the Woodland Trust was not immune to the damaging effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, plans were somewhat thwarted and delays experienced. Normally, coach-loads of people would attend a public tree-planting event, but lockdown restrictions would not allow this. Instead, contractors and a small group of local volunteers were permitted to attend by invitation only and subject to careful Covid planning.
In April 2022, the new wood was officially named the Queen’s Wood Community Woodland at a launch ceremony attended by HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire. A community consultation led to the decision to call the site Queen’s Wood, which recognised the wood’s inclusion in the Platinum Jubilee Queen’s Green Canopy, sat well with neighbouring King’s Wood, and gave a nod to Katherine of Aragon who stayed at Amptill Castle for three years while divorcing from Henry VIII, the site of which is marked by a cross in Ampthill Great Park, less than two miles away.
A total of 48,824 trees and shrubs have been planted to complete this project, bringing environmental benefits to the area and enjoyment and improved well-being to the people of Bedfordshire. The film below shows the scale of the project and one of those Covid-compliant planting days. The King’s Wood Nature Reserve and Houghton House can be found just minutes north of Ampthill, off the B530 – the saplings of Queen’s Wood are clearly visible as you walk from the house to the nature reserve with commanding views over Bedfordshire on your way.
steelcharitabletrust.org.uk 