Twenty members of Bredhurst WI were given a two-hour guided walk around Jeskyns Country Park by Denise Bird, Ranger for the Forestry Commission.

She told the story of the development of the park since it was bought as an arable farm only a few years ago, and the aims of the commission to turn it into a haven for both wildlife to flourish, and families, dog walkers and horse-riders to enjoy.

Hundreds of thousands of young trees have been planted, leaving open spaces to flourish as wildflower meadows and others for the public to explore. There are several ponds including Ashenbank Pond, for wildlife with pond-dipping and nature watching opportunities, and Henhurst Lake with a board walk and dog swimming opportunity. For children's enjoyment there are spiral boulders, a sand pit assault course, a tree house, hop pole dodge, muddy pit and a cone pool.

The sun shone for us, and afterwards we enjoyed a lovely meal at The Darnley Arms in Cobham.

I look forward to doing it all again with 5 more members on Saturday 21 March!