I was walking near Brightlingsea recently and saw this den.  Isn't this what kids used to build before computer games.  I fell out of my tree house, cut my head and went to hospital to get stitches - that was before 'health and safety' crept in !!

Whilst the main aim of TWIG is to plant thousands of native Essex trees we also want to have some fun little projects too. 

The latest to be launched is the brain-child of Lek Button of Clacton on Sea.  With the help of TWIG she aims to plant some Sea Buckthorn trees (Hippophae rhamnoides). 

It has been used for more than a thousand years and the Greeks called the plant 'Glittering Horses' - believing that it was the food of Pegasus and that it gave strength to race hoses.

There are male and female plants and the shrubs produce a valuable crop of berries with multiple uses - creams, oil, juices, jams and the leaves used as tea.

More news to come as we progress with the project.

We had a great meeting last week at Holland Mill Wood when the original TWIG team joined a Tendring Tree Warden visit to the site they planted.  This is the first time they had all met again for 17 years !!  As you can see from the background, the trees are flourishing and there are many self-sown saplings of some size from the original trees.  From left to right - Maureen Gray, David Bain, Anne Bevan, Bob Bevan, Bob Seago, Di Humphreys, Janet Enever and John Ratford (off camera).  A great team with a lot of energy and real inspiration to move the