Wokingham's Covid Memorial Woodland Opens 27 August

The woodland planted in Wokingham borough to mark the pandemic opens to the public this week. A short evening commemoration will be held at the Covid Memorial Woodland on Thursday 27 August, a year later than first intended.

The site sits on land just north of California Country Park, near Finchampstead, and is reached from the park on accessible paths. It holds around 7,000 trees.

The evening in brief

The council has published the details:

• Date: Thursday 27 August 2026
• Time: 6.30pm to 7.30pm
• Where: Covid Memorial Woodland, near California Country Park
• Who it is for: everyone, with people who helped plant the woodland particularly welcome
• RSVP: the council asks visitors to complete a short form so it can plan parking and facilities

The hour is planned to include a welcome and introduction to the woodland, a contribution from people involved in creating it, a short reading and moment of reflection, a commemorative watering, and time to walk through the woodland as the sun sets. It takes place outdoors, so the council advises suitable footwear.

Photography and filming will take place for council communications and archive use. Anyone who would rather not appear is asked to tell the photographer or organiser on arrival.

Why it took an extra year

The woodland was meant to open in 2025. It did not, and the council has been straightforward about the reason.

The particularly warm and dry weather meant many of the young trees struggled to establish even with extra watering, the council said in January. Replacement planting was carried out where it was needed, and further work to establish the woodland continued through the winter of 2025 and into 2026, supported by the council’s Countryside Service and community partners.

Much of the original tree planting was supported by funding from the Woodland Trust.

The trees a Shinfield school grew

Some of what is now in the ground was raised by children a few miles away.

Year 6 pupils at Shinfield St Mary’s Junior School spent a year collecting local seed, including hazel, hawthorn, crab apple and rowan, and growing it on. They produced more than 130 saplings, and planted them at the woodland on 26 January 2026. Those trees joined native hazel, oak and wild cherry already taking root, with wildflower seeding under way across the site.

Using locally collected seed helps support biodiversity and produces a more resilient woodland, the council said. The pupils were supported by Matt Knight, head of ecology at the school, a regional lead at The Tree Council and co-founder of the fruit tree charity Freely Fruity.

“There’s no better thing than bringing pupils outside the classroom and getting their hands dirty,” he said. “We’ve loved finding local seeds, nurturing them into young trees and planting them in their new home.”

What it means for you

Two practical points the announcement does not spell out.

Parking is not free. The council asks visitors to park at California Country Park, where charges apply from 6am to 10pm daily. Under the tariff on the council’s countryside site, an hour is £3, two hours £5.50 and three hours £7. Blue badge holders and motorcycles park free. For a 6.30pm start and a 7.30pm finish, most visitors will need a two-hour ticket once walking time is counted.

The gates lock at 10pm. The access gate to the California car parks is open only between 7am and 10pm, and the council charges £126 to release a vehicle locked in out of hours.

The café and toilets at California Country Park will stay open for the event. Accessibility requirements can be noted on the RSVP form. If you are planning other days out in the borough, our guide to things to do in Wokingham covers the country parks, and our parking page sets out the current charges across the borough.

Separately, the council is consulting until 9 September on a draft order that would add a £10 all-day country park charge for stays over four hours.