The weather today was fine but quite windy, particularly later on, and ground conditions were quite muddy in places. We were delighted to be joined by 11 Meadow Covert scouts accompanied by leaders Grant, Dan and Simon.
The main tasks for the day were to continue work on the western boundary, by driving in posts, building dead hedges and planting whips. We completed a stretch just north of the Landmere Lane unofficial entrance, and then applied most resources to some gaps (some of them new) just below the Kissing Gate entrance. Storm Doris last Thursday was quite helpful, in that lots of fallen branches were lying around, so the scouts did a great job in moving a lot of material to where it was required for dead hedging. We deployed about 20 posts in the two locations, and, again with help from the scouts, we planted the donated dogwood and guelder rose whips just outside the new dead hedges.
Rod took a team tending to some previously planted whips that were lacking in terms of canes and guards. David did a great job shifting over 0.5 tonnes of stone from where it had been delivered (on the “runway”) to the muddy areas just outside the Wheatcroft gate. We are still hoping that Streetwise can shift the remainder into the wood when ground conditions improve. On the way back we stopped briefly at the fallen tree across the main path, just south of the junction with the west path (another victim of Doris). Although it is definitely a chain saw job to shift it, we helped by stripping some of the large growth of ivy so that it is easier for members of the public to climb over.
by John E work party co-ordinator
