To Sign or Not To Sign

 It was always the intention for the public to enjoy the woodland , and to some extent to enjoy its transformation. As I may have mentioned before , there is a strong financial incentive to form a charity sooner rather than later to take some tax benefits and to facilitate donations and grants. The formation of a charity would likely mean a rapid introduction of more public access and less control of things from my end. Currently I am taking the financial hit of not setting up a charity without really knowing why - it’s a gut feel thing. I think it is about control - or about not giving up control. At least not yet. It’s an expensive luxury though. 

The question of what to do about access cropped up sooner than expected with news that the George Pub in Upper Denby we’re selling off their outdoor furniture cheaply as fancy new stuff was inbound for the new outdoor drinking experience that COVID forced upon pubs. £25 for a 6 person picnic bench was too good an opportunity to pass up and the landlord , Dean , saved one for me. 

My friend Jason agreed to help me wrestle it into his van and struggle down the field with it in exchange for the extensive fame that comes with appearing in this blog (or it might have been the promise of a nights camping with a fire and beer). It’s a heavy thing and he earned his beer. He only winged a little bit. 

Bringing in the bench changed things immediately though. It instantly looked unlike a farmers field (with baby trees in) and more like some sort of recreational facility. I wondered if this was an error. Everyone who drove past or walked through, would see the bench. With more warning I would have perhaps screened the area off that hosts the bench so it was less visible. Or perhaps waited a couple of years until it was naturally screened by trees. A £25 bench though. As if there were any change of me saying no. 

Within a week a lovely family appeared on the driveway, heading down the field (not on the foot path - so they were trespassing) armed with a picnic and a cricket set. They shouted to me as they journeyed down about how much they “loved this place” They must have guessed I owned the field as they hesitated as if suddenly unsure they should be doing what they were doing. I reassured them it was fine and they could use the picnic table and that they should enjoy their day. They looked so happy. I couldn’t bring myself to shout “get orf my land” despite it being something I have always wanted to say. They looked to have a great time - though the cricket was tricky - the wind was strong and the lightweight ball kept blowing away. 

Initially these visitors caused me a bit of worry. Pandora’s box was well and truly open and would I now have drunk youths leaving litter and burning fences on open fires. But then nobody else really showed up (that I know of). While sleeping in my van on the driveway one night two youths ventured halfway down to the bench and then changed their minds (maybe due to seeing my van bedroom lights), but other than that it seemed there was no real need to panic. 

I did wonder about adding some signage that said “please feel free to explore the upper mowed paths but keep off the rest” but that potentially invites liability issues (I would need to consult my insurers) - it’s horrible that you have to think this way - another problem a charity would solve - but loosing my home in a law suit isn’t that appealing even if it is a very remote possibility. 

So for now , there is no signage. I flip flop between whether to add signs on an almost daily basis. Eventually I will and it will be great to provide some background information about the project. But for now, I think it will wait until there is a problem I need to solve. 

I have added fuel to the fire (literally) by keeping my promise to Jason and having a sleep under the stars this week (at least I slept under the stars, Jason’s “wild camping” appears to require tents and quilts and fancy air beds). We added way too much beer to the mix and a started a fire to sit around. I suspect we were visible for miles. Hopefully we won’t cause a mass camping invasion. Let’s see.