Lee Schofield speaks at woodland conference in Hexham

Lee, the author of Wild Fell: Fighting for Nature on a Lake District Hill Farm, and a pioneer of rewilding and reforesting, was the headline speaker at the first conference of Hexham-based Living Woods.

They are a community interest company dedicated to the creation and management of woodland and were marking five years in action, as well as celebrating National Tree Week.

At the conference (Image: Supplied) Lee’s speech was described as 'brilliant and inspiring' by the audience of more than 120 woodland enthusiasts. They also listened to a presentation from Dr Rachel Penn and Sian Atkinson from the Woodland Trust who spoke about the ancient woodlands of north east England – their biodiversity and cultural significance, and the importance of creating new native woodland.

And founder member of Living Woods, Andy Gray, was given a very warm welcome. The group has hundreds of volunteers across the region, planting trees – some grown from seed through one of their projects – training community groups and others in woodland management, and caring for woodlands great and small.

Lee at the conference (Image: Supplied) The team works with land managers and communities to help them put 'the right tree, in the right place, for the right reason' and create diverse and productive habitats for people and wildlife.

Organiser Geoff Brockett said: "The conference has been a great success and the feedback we have received has been universally positive.  I think the main issue that people have commented on is that they were unaware of the breadth and depth of the organisation’s reach.  They now have a much more holistic understanding of Living Woods as a result of the conference.

"We asked all participants to answer this question: Why do woodlands matter to you? and write their answer on a leaf, which was then pinned to a tree.  These ranged from 'Trees hold the wisdom and the majesty of the natural world' to 'Woods are my happy place.'"

Mark and Andy Gray (Image: Supplied) Director Mark Shipperlee said: "We wanted people to come and see the bigger picture of Living Woods, and they joined our celebration of the efforts and achievements of the many people who have connected together to create and care for  woodlands."

The event was followed by a screening in Hexham’s Forum Cinema of Tim Stead: Magician with Wood, a film by Beatrix Wood.

This weekend volunteers are out planting trees on behalf of the North East Community Forest.