Swithland Wood Bluebell Service

An event took place in 1925 which secured for all time the gratitude of the people of Leicester and Leicestershire – the decision by the Rotary Club of Leicester to purchase the Swithland Wood and safeguard for ever 137 acres of beautiful Charnwood Forest for the benefit of the public. The bluebell is amongst the most loved of British flowers so it seems appropriate that a special service is dedicated to the wildflower each spring. It takes place at the Wood and on Sunday the 5th of May, Rotarians Bob Collins and Parmdeep Vadesha attended on behalf of the club. The outdoor Service has been taking place annually for over 100 years with only a handful of exceptions, and it is situated in he Pit, an amphitheatre deep in the woods. In the Wood there is a plaque fixed to a rock and it bears the inscription “Swithland Wood. Secured as a national heritage by the Rotary Club of Leicester 1931”.