Working Party March 2010

 

The January event was cancelled because of snow, but in February a select band concentrated on work in Birtchnell’s Copse. This is a nature reserve owned by the Town Council on what used to be allotments, managed on their behalf by a volunteer warden.  The recently appointed warden is an allotment holder, Andrew Calderwood.  We planted a young oak tree donated by Jane Dickinson to replace one which had been destroyed, and we cleared an area of bramble designated for future hazel planting.  More bird boxes were installed.

 

After lunch ,we turned our attention to the area at the entrance to Sunnyside Old by Grantham Mews.  For a long time this has looked messy.  We had it cleared and levelled when a digger was working on site, and it is being planted to provide early and late flowers for butterflies and bees, and berries for birds.  We have also planted a communal Bramley apple tree which will hopefully provide a good crop which we can all share in the future.  In February we planted a hawthorn hedge. (We are looking for michaelmas daisies and other later flowering perennials if anyone has any to offer).

 

In March there were more of us and we were able to get a variety of jobs done.  Two new noticeboards (made by Ted) were installed on Sunnyside New, and metal and plastic rubbish was cleared from the green roadway at the SE corner of the site.  The wooden barrier outside the SSN gate was also repaired. The inside of the toilet on SSO was redecorated and we started to creosote the Tea Hut.  We also continued to plant up the area by the Grantham Mews gate with cotoneaster horizontalis, foxgloves and pyracantha.