New Arrivals at Whitwell!

Breaking News from the squirrel enclosure! Two kittens where spotted today exploring the enclosure for the first time. They were spotted this afternoon by John. More info and hopefully (if we can snap them!) some pictures will follow! This week also saw us run our first session of Tracking. A group from Henderson Green School where the lucky first, combining the activity with an Easter Egg hunt. They had great fun exploring the woods and learning the signs of tracking. With the help of Reepham High School students we have put the Yew Tree fire shelter and dining shelter up. This is one of our favourite jobs of the year because it means that summer is nearly here! We have also been building equipment for some of our other new activities. Hainford & Frettenham cubs are at Whitwell this weekend for an activity day and we are going to try out all our new activities on them...ready for the first school in May!

March 2011

As always March has been a busy month at Whitwell Hall. With only a few weeks until the start of our summer camping season we've been busy working all around the estate to improve the facilities for next season.

The shower blocks on Paddock have been painted and tiled by volunteers working on the estate. The showers now look really good and the tiles have removed the problems we had with the blocks becoming green. Painting the toilets has improved them no-end as they are now brighter and easier to clean.

We've also had our first camp groups of the year. A school on a Duke of Edinburgh trip from Cambridgeshire where the first intrepid group of campers, quickly followed by a local Scout group. March can be a lovely time to camp...if the weather treats you kindly!

The snow drops that were about during February have been replaced by Daffodils. They are appearing all over the estate and give the grounds a real burst of colour. Trees and bushes around the estate are also beginning to flower.

Our flock of sheep is growing rapidly! At the last count there were 13 lambs jumping about the meadows. These will stay on the meadows for the summer and once old enough and big enough will be moved off the estate.

We had our first session of river dipping today with Henderson Green School. The river at this time of year is incredibly cold but we were able to catch a European Bullhead, a Stickleback, a Minnow, several Crayfish and lots of Mayfly Nymphs & Freshwater Shrimps. A good catch and a splashing good time!

On Sunday 27th we held our AGM at Reepham Town Hall. This is one of two yearly meetings when the members and trustees of Whitwell Hall meet to discuss what is happening at Whitwell and to make plans for the forthcoming year(s). We currently have 7 trustees and 3 members but we are always on the look out for new members. If you are interested in becoming a member then click here for more details!

New Activities for the 2011 Season

We have been working on a range of new activities to offer to groups staying at Whitwell Hall for the 2011 season. The first group of activities have been finalised and are now available.

These are:

Tracking - learn the signs and symbols to lay a course for others to follow.
Pioneering - Learn how to tie knots and lash to complete a pioneering project.
Team Building Games - A collection of games to improve team work, problem solving and communication skills.

We hope to have some more new activities available soon. As soon as they are ready we will have them on-line and in the blog!

Whitwell Hall now has a page on Facebook. Search for Whitwell Hall on facebook to see our page or click on the F below!

Community Christmas Meal

For the fourth consecutive year Whitwell Hall and students from Reepham High School combined to provide a christmas meal for residents of a local sheltered housing community. The students prepared, cooked, served and cleared the entire meal. The students work a Whitwell Hall two afternoons a week and are workingf towards their ASDAN award. One area of this is community service which is where the christmas meal fits in.As in previous years the day was a massive success and was enjoyed by students, the diners and Whitwell Hall staff. Below are some photos taken on the day...

A special thank you to the local businesses that donated produce to the event. These were:

Brian Robertsons Butchers

Meloncaulie Rose

Autumn Farm Foods

Squirrel Update

Our first blog of 2011 and the latest update on the squirrel enclosure at Whitwell Hall.

Both Storm and Twizzle are hiding during this cold weather. Although Red Squirrels don't hibernate, they become noticeably less active and spend more time in the drey during the winter months.

An extension to the squirrel enclosure is under way. The holes have been dug to accept the uprights and we are waiting on getting these to continue. This will allow us to house either a second breeding pair or a batchelor group of males. The new area will be joined to the existing enclosure with an overhead ariel runway across the existing wildlife garden path. This work is being carried out by students from Reepham High School.

In the last squirrel update we introduced Xavi, the only Kitten from the summer litter. Unfortunately, Xavi died a few months after being born. Deaths in small mammals, especially young, are quite common and this is why they reproduce at a high rate.

We are hopeful of another succesful breeding year with Storm and Twizzle both doing so well.