Help Restore the UK's Temperate Rainforests in Max's name

Max's death is a tragedy for all that knew and loved him. If you had the pleasure of knowing him, you would also know that he loved the natural world and worked passionately to protect it.

He was particularly inspired by a book called "The Lost Rainforests of Great Britain" by Guy Shrubsole and was intending his next project to be working on expanding fragments of the surviving forests in the UK, and we, his family and friends, are going to continue this work in his name.

Britain harbors fragments of a globally rare habitat; otherwise known as temperate rainforest. This is a woodland where it is wet enough for plants to grow on other plants.

Not only are they a feast for the senses, they are a treasure trove for biodiversity and include globally significant species of lichens, mosses, birds and mammals.

Over millennia we’ve destroyed the rainforest and only small remnants remain, however, these temperate rainforests are the pinnacle of the country’s woodland.

Whilst climate change absorbs much of the media's content, the crisis in biodiversity is an even more serious issue as we look to avoid a sixth mass extinction.

Britain is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, losing half its farmland birds, 40% of its woodland edge butterflies and had a severe decline in insects in the last 50 years.

Temperate rainforest thrive in areas in which agriculture is either impossible or at best marginal and support a disproportionate wealth of species which could help arrest this mass decline.

Expanding the few fragments that currently exist is urgent to combat both climate change and the biodiversity crisis.

We’ve been working hard to find the right project to work with, including getting in touch with Guy Shrubsole himself (The author of The Lost Rainforests of Great Britain), talking with the Duchy of Cornwall who own Wistman’s Wood, Merlin Hanbury Tennison at the Thousand Year Trust and Ash Brown a rewilding consultant.

We have been looking to find an existing project that is most aligned with Max’s vision to regenerate the temperate rainforests and educate people to fall back in love with nature. A project we can continue to raise money for in his name and a place where we can go to help make Max’s vision become a reality. Max has such an army of family and friends ready to get their hands dirty, to continue to love him through loving nature.

Ash Brown introduced us to a rewilding project taking place at Willow Springs Farm. This is a 37 acre farm located in the Afan Valley, which has two areas of temperate rainforest in South Wales, the farm leads down to the village of Glyncorrwg. Once a thriving village during the coal mining era, Glyncorrwg is a place that is suffering ecologically, economically, and socially.

The land of Willow Springs and the surrounding areas is ecologically degraded.

This should be temperate rainforest, but instead is a mishmash of non native, commercial forestry pine species, invasive species and native species that have become over-dominant and are suffocating other more diverse vegetation. The farms across the valley are either improved grassland (sprayed with chemical fertilisers) and overgrazed by sheep, or once were sheep farms that are now abandoned and are now cloaked and choked by molinia grass.

Tommy (the farm owner) is working with ecologist and teacher Mouse and a small group of very like minded people to bring the project to life. It’s a community vision to restore and expand the temperate rainforest. They will also build on their eco campsite using felled non native trees from the farm where possible to, create income to invest back into the forest, to educate the local people, children and campers that come to the retreats, and to provide jobs for locals who have suffered from the closure of steelworks that have severely affected the local community over the last 20 years.

Nick, Claire, Hannah, Taz, Kelly, Daisy and Luke went to visit the Willow Springs Crew and were blown away by the project and the people, we felt very quickly that it was right for us to help them bring their vision to life.

The first and most important thing for the project is to get funding for Mouse. This is so she can dedicate 3 days a week this year to observe and collect data to start to understand the land in more detail, dedicate time to delivering workshops in the local community and study to become a guardian of the temperate rainforest, through a Rewilding course.

After some careful consideration we have made the decision to fund Mouse for the year and pay for her course. This funding will allow them to prioritise the rewilding of the forest. Then, with the more money we raise, we will offer a bursary to other local people in Glyncorrwg to do the Rewilding Training to help Mouse and the team on their mission to protect and expand the temperate rainforest. We would like to offer at least 1 per year.

We will also build an outdoor classroom within the woodland named after Max, where local people and those on the retreats will learn about him too.

This is only the beginning of a longstanding relationship and the more we work together the more we will update you all on how we will help them.

Please donate to make Max's aspiration a reality...