Theresa May Visits Quinton

Today I took Theresa May MP (Shadow Leader of the House of Commons) to Pitts Wood in Quinton.

Pitts Wood was once an abandoned and overgrown site used by local gangs for drug taking, drinking and other anti social behaviour. In March 2003, a Friends of Pitts Wood group was formed and gradually the area has been transformed. Proper fencing has been erected around the site (which is in the middle of residential housing), undergrowth has been cleared (I gave a hand with some of that back in September) and a network of paths has been laid out.

There are hand carved wooden benches and chairs dotted around the wood and on occasions a tepee is erected in a clearing (see my post for May 5th for a picture of that). A ranger is employed in the wood part time and groups of children from local schools and other groups regularly visit to learn about conservation and wildlife, and to witness a slice of the country in the middle of Quinton.

Today, friends Chairman Bob Chambers and other committee members were on hand to show Theresa around. In the spring the wood is a carpet of bluebells, but today it was just as charming as we sat on one of the wooden benches to learn about the project from Bob and enjoy the autumn sunshine.