Here is Jonathan’s message to the volunteers
Greetings All,
There’ll be a volunteer session at Fairfield Orchard, Flora and Fauna this
Saturday February 13th, beginning at 10.00am and wrapping up at 1.00pm or
thereabouts.
The meeting point will, as always, be the toolshed near the Sunnyside Lane
entrance, before moving onto the stump circle.
If you’re able to participate, here’s what you might be getting up to…
* Marking out the Flora Field beetle banks in preparation for ploughing.
* Strimming or cutting the rush around the Hay Meadow ponds and moving the
resulting brash to the Gun Range to alleviate poaching.
* Further clearance of excess vegetation in Long Pads hedge.
* Scrubbing the mould off the benches.
* Reinstating the fence along side the Long Pads / Flora Field hedge.
* Planting four replacement fruit trees alongside supporting posts.
* Clearing the brash from fruit tree pruning.
And finally a word about footwear, given that it’s hardly stopped raining
for the last three or four months: wellies.
And that’s about your lot for this time.
Best wishes,
Jonathan.
And here is what we did
16 volunteers gathered on a pleasant winter’s morning.
• The Flora Field beetle banks were marked out with hedge stakes in preparation for ploughing.
• Four fencing posts were put in in the Orchard in preparation for the replacement fruit trees.
• Six fencing posts were put in along the Pads footpath / Flora Field hedgerow replacing posts which broke when the fence was temporarily removed for hedging.
• Rushes were strimmed / brushcut back alongside the ponds /scrapes in the Hay Meadow. It was found to be impractical to gather up the rush due to the wet and muddy conditions.
• Excess vegetation around saplings in the Pads and Long Pads hedge was removed including the section just to the south of the concrete wall.
• Mould was removed from the Orchard benches and they were given a cleansing scrub.
• Brash left over from fruit tree pruning was cleared to appropriate habitat piles.
• Invasive bramble was dug out or cut back in several areas of the Orchard
• Mud was cleared from the path between Sunnyside lane and the Orchard