Here is Jonathan’s message to Orchardeers
Greetings All,
There’ll be a volunteer session at Fairfield Orchard, Fauna and Flora this Saturday May 10th, starting at 10.00am and finishing at 1.00pm or thereabouts.
There’s much work to be done at this fecund time…
1. Mow the grass.
2. Cut back the nettles around fruit trees in the Orchard.
3. Position logs in Pony Wood for use as seating.
4. Stake the larger saplings planted in Pony Wood and the Extension.
5. Continue to flatten out the ruts left by machinery in Big Meadow.
6. Make further adjustments to the pedestrian gate at the ‘treble gates’ to improve its working.
7. Repair the broken rail at the cattle crossing.
8. Work on the redundant Flora fence to retrieve a) useful posts, b) useful lengths of wire netting and c) identify what is scrap.
9. Retrieve further redundant spirals and canes from the Pads footpath.
10. Cut back self seeded sycamore saplings along the hedgeline between the Paddock and the Sunnyside Lane path and various self seeding saplings in the Orchard.
11. At the end of the session put up some of our tables in the Orchard for the ‘Blossom Picnic’.
Firewood enthusiasts may be interested to learn that the gates of the Paddock and the Lower Sowerholme (ex-Gleeson’s) fields will be open for firewood collection.
The Blossom Picnic, as advertised in Ruth’s e-newsletter and a ‘Jacob’s Join’ style affair, will take place from 1pm in the Orchard.
Everybody is very much invited to bring some lunch and stay on after the session. See if you can’t tempt some families and friends to join us too. All welcome.
Looking slightly further ahead, I’ve been asked to mention that the next Lancashire Wildlife Trust event is a bird song guided walk, an introduction to identifying the songs of our resident and migrant birds.
The walk will be around the Heysham and Middleton reserves, where up to 9 species of warbler are now singing, and much else besides! The walk is on Weds 14th May, starting at 9am at Heysham nature reserve.
The event is free of charge though booking is required. Please call 01524 855030 to do so.
And that’s your lot from me,
Best wishes,
Jonathan.