Neighbors spent two days opening up a choked woodland in Greenham

Volunteers cut rhododendron and cherry laurel from an eight-acre wood near Newbury so light can reach the ground again.

By Tazzora Editorial TeamVerified · Source: BBCOct 23, 2026 · 1 min read

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Three people in high-visibility jackets using a chainsaw and ropes on a fallen tree in a woodland — Illustrative photo of volunteers working in a British wood. This is not the Greenham site. Chris Morgan / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0

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Residents spent two days cutting invasive shrubs out of an eight-acre woodland in Greenham, near Newbury in Berkshire. The BBC reported that the work was organized by Protect Earth. Landowner Simon Rance, who bought the site about a year ago, said rhododendrons had been suffocating it.

Neighbor Greg Loxton was among the people who showed up. Phil Sturgeon of Protect Earth told the BBC that plants like these shade out the woodland floor, and that some neglected woods end up with very little living in them. Volunteer Tom Walker used leave from a desk job to help. The tools on site included loppers, bow saws, and pole-mounted machetes, used on rhododendron and cherry laurel.

Rance said he hopes the wood can eventually have public paths and outdoor lessons, because a school is nearby. That is a plan, not a trail that is open now. The two days of cutting are a start on letting light back onto the ground.

For the classroom

In Greenham, near Newbury in England, neighbors spent two days cutting plants that were crowding an eight-acre wood. Simon Rance bought the land about a year ago and said rhododendrons had been smothering it. Protect Earth organized the work. Volunteers used loppers and saws on rhododendrons and cherry laurel, which shade the ground so other plants struggle. Neighbor Greg Loxton joined in, and Tom Walker used time off from an office job. Rance hopes the wood can someday have paths and outdoor lessons, because a school is nearby. That is a hope, not a trail that is open yet.