A CONSERVATION group celebrated twenty years of hard work with a get-together of previous and current members.

The Oakley Woodland Group celebrated the milestone last Saturday with 45 past and present members meeting up to reminisce at St Johns Copse, in St Johns Road.

The group enjoyed pizza cooked in the woodland and drinks to mark the occasion.

Brian Slater, one of the original members of the group, said: “It was a beautiful day, and it was really nice to chat to everyone who was there. It’s great to be able to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the group in a way in which we could celebrate and thank all of the members, past and present, for all the work that they have put in over the years.”

The deputy mayor of Basingstoke and Deane, Cllr Sean Keating also attended the event, joining in with the celebrations of the members past and present.

The group was formed in 1997 with the guidance of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, with the main aim of helping the wildlife and woodland in the area.

It was initially formed to re-establish the coppicing cycle and maintain diversity and aid the wildlife in two copses, Cowdown and St John’s. Both of the copses are ancient, semi-natural woodland, designated as Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation, with an array of of oak trees and hazel and the habitat of many species.

Mr Slater added: “We have an ongoing management plan to carry on maintaining and preserving the biodiversity of the area. We will keep doing this for as long as we can, until it is no longer necessary. We need to look after the green spaces that we have and there is a very good range of biodiversity in the areas that we look after.”

In the 20 years that the group has been going, it has seen a total of 60 members come and go, with around 50 members currently on the group’s roll, 20 of whom regularly help with their conservation effort.