Hawkridge Reservoir

• Bridgwater, TA1 1BD
• Car park facility available
• Hawthorn

On the high banks of the Hawkridge Reservoir and with wonderful views across to the Bristol Channel this Life for a Life Memorial Forest is located on the fringes of the Quantock Hill.

The reservoir itself lies some seven miles west of Bridgwater and is located just beyond the village of Spaxton. The reservoir itself is abundant with brown and rainbow trout, making it a renowned fishing site that is expertly managed by Wessex Water and their team of rangers.

Hawkridge is one of five planting areas that have been made available to Life for a Life for memorial tree planting all of which have contributed to not just to the local environment but have supported local hospices and other health related organisation with donations in excess of £40,000 to date.

Life for a Life planting areas are natural environments where we encourage wildlife and plantlife to flourish, as such additional items should not be added to the tree or the space around it, especially as they can cause damage to the tree. Please be aware that any prohibited items left on or around memorial trees will be removed. 

Although this site is now full to the planting of new memorial trees, if you have an existing memorial tree dedicated you can still upgrade memorial plaques, add additional ashes to a memorial tree, order memorial keepsakes etc.

What happens in the future?

Now that this memorial forest is closed to new tree planting you will see slight changes in the way we manage the site. The aim is to create a forest that will mature over time and become a local amenity for both visitors and wildlife. Therefore, the management regime will move to one which is more sympathetic to the environment. In practical terms, this will mean a gradual reduction in grass cutting as the tree canopy closes to help promote a richer diversity of wildflowers and other ground flora.

All the memorial trees are guaranteed for 25 years and any tree which has unfortunately not established itself successfully will be replaced from a selected mixture of 'understory' species consisting of either Hazel, Hawthorn or Holly that will help diversify the woodland creating an even better home for nature.

Furthermore, as the memorial trees grow they will be 'crown-lifted' which involves removing the lower limbs of the trees to help maintain access as the trees continue to mature and allow air and light to pass through. Eventually, the plaque in front of the trees will be removed as the site transitions from a formalised memorial woodland into the memorial forest we all want it to become. At this point a new sign will be erected that will let people know how the forest was established and what the trees represent.