Back in 2012, Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee was being celebrated across the UK. The Woodland Trust conservation charity did so in its own way by planting 60 woods of 60 acres, in partnership with landowners up and down the country. The university was delighted to take part and create one such 'Diamond Wood' on land near the Sutton Bonington campus.

We were delighted to hear from Richard Neale (Civil Engineering 1965), who has lived in Sutton Bonington for xx years, and has been keeping a close eye on the woodland as it has grown from tiny saplings into what is now, just 14 years later, a mature woodland.

Diamond Wood 800x

The university's Diamond Wood at Sutton Bonington, pictured in August 2025.

"I am fortunate to live in Sutton Bonington, a village in the Soar Valley. I appreciate especially the availability of excellent rural walks directly from my house – no car needed – and during the past decade or so these have been very much enhanced by the establishment of two new woodlands.  These have been a gift from the University of Nottingham to the village and continue to be maintained by the university.

"This article is based on some photos that I have taken of the two woodlands as they have developed. Photo 1, below, shows typical planting in the original fields, in the second year of the project."

"The Pasture Lane wood borders the River Soar on its western side and the original waterside trees have been left, to the benefit of fishermen, photographers or just a place to sit and reflect, photo 2. Growth was – to me – surprisingly rapid, as shown in photos 3 (2015) and 4 (2018)."

"A pond was created in Pasture Lane wood, photo 5, below, using drainage channels from the previous arable fields. The vegetation has grown prolifically, and the pond has become a marshland, with a wide variety of plants, insects and birds."

"Wild flowers have grown in profusion, as shown in photo 6. These areas have been carefully managed to encourage them. There is a wonderful diversity of trees, shrubs and brambles, as shown by photo 7, a Euonymus alatus, Burning Bush or Winged Spindle Tree."

Diamond Wood Photo 6 Euonymus alatus, Burning Bush or Winged Spindle Tree Ermine moth web Daedaleopsis confragosa or Thin Walled Maze Polypore.

"I was really concerned when I saw the bush shown in photo 8, although of course it is a good example of the diversity of wildlife. The web is produced by ermine moth caterpillars, to protect themselves from predators. Surprisingly, although the caterpillars ate all the leaves, the tree recovered fully. 

"Undergrowth has developed quite quickly, with large areas of brambles and some wild roses appearing between the trees. As a further sign of woodland maturity, I saw the fungus shown in photo 9 during a recent walk in Soar Lane wood.

"Finally, photos taken recently. Personally, it seems to me quite amazing that a woodland can grow to this stage of maturity in 13 years. Photo 10 also shows that the university maintains these woods carefully, providing pathways throughout both woods."

"As these Diamond Woods have matured, they have assumed very different characters. Soar Lane, as photo 10, above, shows, is mostly quite dense woodland and - to me - has a rather wilder character than Pasture Lane which has some equally dense areas but is generally more open and diverse, as shown by photo 11, below."

"The university’s intention is stated clearly on its website:

'The Diamond Wood was designed to be a recreational and educational facility for the whole community and is part of a bigger vision to create productive landscapes where wildlife and people flourish.'

"They have certainly achieved this aim, and more, and I am sure that most of the village are very grateful to have these natural walks ‘on their doorsteps’.

"I graduated from the university 60 years ago, so wandering through these lovely woodlands gives me a connection to my student days."

Sustainability at the university

The University of Nottingham has pledged to become a Nature Positive University. This means we are committed to understanding the impacts of the university's activities on nature and setting targets to reverse this. Across our campuses we are rewilding spaces, restoring habitats and leaving grass to grow longer to create homes and food sources for local wildlife.

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