Task Reports

the first bearer in placePlaswood. Plimber.

We are getting to know this product; recycled plastic moulded into  posts and planks.

Terminology. Posts; the upright legs, tall on one side to support a hand rail, level with decking on the other so the pupils can pond dip. Bearers; the cross pieces attached to the legs. Stringers; the planks that run the length of the bridge. Decking; the planks that form the walkway.  

Lots of thinking today to make sure we created an accurate framework.

Working in a pond = mud. Working in a pond in the rain = very muddy...

The blossom started very early this year – quite a few trees were in bloom when we were working on our Saturday session on April 15th, however we were pleased to see that there was still a lot of blossom out and the orchard was looking good. 

It’s the first time we have had blossom on Blossom Day since 2015. It’s a shame we didn’t manage to attract more visitors today, but for the regular volunteer group it was a successful day’s work. And with added sustenance of cakes and apple goodies. 

The vegetation has grown a lot in the last three weeks so the key tasks were mowing (especially the ground elder), cutting under the trees and mulching to suppress the weeds. We have plenty of straw to mulch with (they were the seats at Apple Day last year) but as we started the job we realised there was a bumble bees’ nest in the pile. Although we had already disturbed them, we re-covered the remaining bales and hope they stay put. 

During this summer we will be relocating and building new compost bins. We started the process of digging out the neglected brick compost area. It has a lot of good compost that we will feed the trees with once we have removed the weed roots. 

This is the first time we have done practical work in the school’s wildlife area for many years. Our relationship first started with the school when Nick led wildlife education sessions in the grounds about 11 years ago (I wouldn’t have believed it was so long ago but we had a look though the photo album that documented the development of the wildlife area). 

The main task today was to barrow and spread a large pile of bark across the playground and onto the pathways and steps (I heard mention of ‘functional fitness’!) Firstly we had weed out some of the grass, dandelions and thistles that had become established. We also dug out some brambles that were encroaching onto the path and meadow areas, The meadows are dominated by grass species so we did a late spring cut to remove some of the biomass, and hope to implement a new regime of cutting at the ned of the summer. 

In the sun it was gloriously warm today and we saw quite a few butterflies (speckled wood, peacock, orange tip, white spp.) and the birds around us included chiff chaff, willow warbler and a jay. 

Our final day at Bolton St James tidying up the stones uncovered in the construction of the garden, (to be used later by the church for making a rock garden). We have tried to reuse what we have found on site, throughout the project, and a drystone pathway up to the compost bin was today’s artistic creation, finishing off the area around the raised beds nicely.

The garden is looking good with plants the church have planted and local groups are now ready to continue with the more manageable tasks of creating the garden now the hard surfacing and construction is completed.

Our volunteer team had a thorough workout, heroically moving the remaining hardcore from site and on to a new project.

Good Friday. 

Our final day of tree planting this season and we were able to identify some of the trees by their leaves rather than their buds. They have been grown in root trainers so their roots are well protected and they are well sheltered by the deer proof guards that we fitted. 

The planting covered a small embankment at the bottom of a field and species included birch, oak, rowan, willow, hazel, hawthorn and field maple. Once established they will provide a great habitat for the birds. There was a willow warbler singing somewhere near by – the first I had heard this year. 

As we set off home we took a little detour (easier than turning round in the road!) into the quarry we were adjacent to. Some great geology on show and lots of primroses on the slopes in the wood.  

We don’t often venture into Leeds apart from our regular visits to Rodley Nature Reserve, but today we were helping Forest of Bradford with a hedge planting scheme at Wood Farm, Scarcroft. We were planting hawthorn, hazel, spindle and cherry (I think). 

Once established they will provide a significant area of great wildlife habitat. The hedges on the farm that had been planted about 10 years ago were growing strongly and bursting with blossom, hopefully ours follow suit.

Nice to see buzzards overhead and the lapwings in the fields. 

Beautiful sunshine, the weather couldn’t have been more different from last week. The blackbirds, robins and sparrows, making use of the hedgerow, made us feel that laying the hedge had been well worth the effort.

Today we cut the meadow and the grass around the garden. We completed edging around the apple trees to protect them in future, especially from strimming. We edged the remaining growing bed, fixed a section of fencing to try to discourage fly-tipping and planted a few trees in the gap to fill out the hedge. We weeded the garden area, ready for the next growing season.

We were certainly in and amongst the elements today.  The wind was wild, the mud was muddy. But, the rain wasn’t as persistent as the forecast suggested.

We planted about 350 trees, hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel and field maple, to form part of the hedge that is stretching along the old track above Draughton and leading to Skipton. Ian assured us that Back Plantation, on the other side of the track, was full of birds – redpoll, siskin etc, but we will have to return when we are less busy to have a proper look. There was lots of frog spawn in the ditch next to our planting, but today we were sung to by the curlews and a lone sky lark. Signs of spring even if the weather was wintery. 

Not many photos today – too wet and windy, and just too much to do!