Brackenhill Urban Landscape Area

We had to change the site today as the snow covering the tree planting site at Dewsbury Country Park prevented this task from going ahead. This task has been rescheduled for 1st March.

Instead we returned to Brackenhill to complete the task of removing willow that has been overhanging the pathway. As well as opening improving access the felling work has also opened up the hazel coppice on the field behind and inspired us to manage this in a more proactive way in the future. We were joined by the Council’s Countryside officers who chipped the branches that were too small to be harvested for charcoal. In addition they took away the old fence that served no purpose but was a hazard to passers-by.

We also did some maintenance of the hedge on Old Corn Mill Lane, to prevent it obscuring the road.

Today we worked with 13 volunteers

There were quite a few jobs to be on with today. One was to rehang the kissing gate, this was a difficult job as the old post had to be dug out first, but as it was concrete it had to be chipped out with a crow bar. By the end we had managed to get the new post in and holes drilled ready for the gate to be hung again. We also cut the meadow area at the entrance and cut the nettles and bindweed along the path and at the fence. This will make the site seem more cared for and allow other plants a chance to grow. The path along bottom of the site was cleared and this will make access easier for the public. But as we are still without our autoscythe the meadow did not get a full cut but we plan to in spring next year. This will benefit the wildflowers that are growing there like Meadowsweet, Meadow Cranesbill and Bird’s foot trefoil.

Today we worked with 10 volunteers.

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Making stakes for the hedgelaying tasks

Today 10 volunteers started the task of laying the hedge that is the boundary between the site and Corn Mill Lane. The terrain was difficult as the hedge is at the bottom of a steep slope and the fence prevented tackling the hedge from the flat side. However good progress was made and all volunteers had the opportunity to learn how to cut the pleachers, which act as a hinge, using billhooks and bowsaws.  We made stakes from timber cut at Boar's Well and the UNR and sharpened them to a point with a bill hook.

We will continue this task next week.

Making the pleachers

 Today we had the chance to learn and practice the traditional craft of hedgelaying. We continued on from the section of hawthorn hedge we had started to cut earlier in the year. First we cleared the lower branches and the vegetation of the trees. We then learnt how to make a pleacher and next how to construct the hedge using stakes. The completed hedge should provide a stock proof barrier which was not crutial at this hedge but learning the technique is and how to create the increasingly rare habitat and wildlife corridor. At the end of the day we had completed about 30 yards which was a great achievement and final result looked very good.

Today we worked with 16 volunteers

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Volunteers from Everything is Possible doing a great job to collect litter on site

Today we had three jobs to carry out on the site. The fence at the bottom of Greenfiled Lane required repair. This occupied several of the group and at the end looked good. Another group set about maintenance on Greenfield Lane, which imvolved repairs to the wall, collecting litter and removing vegetation. The other volunteers went to clear litter and fly tipping from the site. In total 12 bags were collected from the site. There was unfortunate news, the bridge that was installed last summer was found in the stream.

Today we worked with 11 volunteers.

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Meadow in bloom Today we carried out some much needed maintenance on the site. At first we collectd litter and fly tipping, which included a mattress, carpet, two trollies, several tyres and items from the pond. We then split into smaller work groups, a group trimmed the hedge that we had previously laid which showed good signs of regrowth, two areas of japanese knotweed were tackled, ensured that the paths were open by cutting back the vegetation, repaired several sections of wall and pulled up himalayan balsam. Considering the amount of littering and fly tipping that we removed it was encouraging to see a moorhen on a nest and the meadow in fantastic bloom which the photo shows.

Today we worked with 21 volunteers.

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Today our main task was to cut and rake the meadow areas, this has the conservation benefit to the grassland plants like meadow cranesbill and birds-foot trefoil by reducing the nutrients and spreading the seeds for next year. We cut the grass using the autoscythe and then raked using wooden hay rakes and moved it with pitchforks. This was a big task as the grass was very heavy due to being wet. We also cut back the hedge along Old Corn Mill Lane, plus controlled the Japanese knotweed and the Himalayan balsam from the pond area, maintained the pathways and collected litter. The site was looking better for the work at the end of the day.

Today we worked with 9 volunteers.

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 When we arrived on site today we decided that the priority for nature conservation was not to thin the ash trees due to the uncertainty of the ash die back disease but to tackle the amount of litter and flytipping that had taken place. We got on with what seemed an endless task and shifted beds, mattresses, car parts, carpets, for sale signs, bags and then there was the litter of which we collected over 20 bags. In fact we ran out of bags and had to get more. Unfortunately we could not shift the burnt out van, but it is reported and will be removed in due course. We collected so much rubbish that the Council Clean Team were not only impressed but had to make two trips. It felt like we worked at Brackenhill Urban “Landfill” Site, but we left the site in a more suitable state for people and wildlife than we found it.

It also left us enough time to repair one section of drystone wall and the team created a nice little wall end which sets us up to repair further sections on future visits.

Today we worked with 7 volunteers.

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For our visit today we thinned trees from an area of path near the factory, these were mainly blackthorn and dog rose so there was a lot of untangling to be done. These were cut to make habitat piles. While this was in progress other maintenance tasks were carried out; some of the missing rails on the Old Corn Lane boundary were replaced and litter collected. Once this was carried out we worked on the Green Lane path; cutting back vegetation, replacing the coping stones on the wall and clearing the litter. Working to maintain the paths will make access around the site easier for the visitors and removing the litter gives wildlife a chance.

Although there was the thinnest layer of ice on the pond it still felt mild for the time of year.

Today we worked with 9 volunteers.

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