On 5th December the volunteers had their traditional Christmas Party, a reward for another year of hard work. It is one of the few occasions when a fire is lit and spouses are invited to join the company. The food was wonderful and we had more than enough to drink. Sadly Leo did not patrol the picnic site and was missed. We invited a guest, David Brown (Small Woods co-ordinator for Sussex) who is working hard to produce an archaeological survey of New England Wood and a friend of many of the volunteers.