HERITAGE
If you go down to the woods today… Anna Robertson, who was acting chair of Jersey Trees for Life for two years, is now their project co-ordinator. Caroline Spencer took a stroll with her around Adelina Wood
A
delina Wood, tucked away just off a major artery into St Helier, is one of the sites managed by Jersey Trees for Life. One day, it will be a mature woodland. At the moment, it is relatively young, fresh and very green, not least because grasses and buttercups are flourishing thanks to No Mow May.
44
Anna Robertson, ambling along the footpath with her British bulldog Bosco, explained that she joined the committee of the charity six years ago and has been vice-chair for the last two. The charity likes to have an architect on the committee in order to help with planning matters.
Anna, a chartered architect who ran her own business for eight years, has specialised in environmental architecture, so she has found the perfect fit. ‘I’ve always had an affinity for the environment and I’ve always loved trees,’ she said. ‘I was constantly climbing them as a child!’ She has been at the helm at a challenging time, thanks to Covid. ‘For now, we are focusing on our sites at Val de la Mare and Adelina Wood and making them the best they can be, carrying out maintenance that we couldn’t do last year and putting up new signage,’ she said. ‘Then we want to get more people interacting with them. For example, we have plans for more child-friendly routes through Val de la Mare.’ As mother to Evelyn (4) and Autumn (2), she knows how fun and magical a woodland walk can be for children. ‘My children love the outdoors, getting muddy and getting in a tree,’ said Anna, who is married to Charles. ‘We love exploring the Australasian Zone at Val de la Mare. There are some big steps at the end, we call them the Giant Steps, and a really old oak tree they love climbing on, and then we go up to the Pine Zone and its little winding paths.’ The charity is also planning guided walks with Blue Badge guide Roger Noel who now sits on their committee.
