The essential work continues

February 2026 

I always really enjoy my time at the park. However, helping to maintain this beautiful sanctuary does require a lot of unvaried work (so apologies if my journal sometimes sounds the same).

Now that the bank has been cleared, it was time to plant some hazel.

Matt joined us to chainsaw some of the larger trees close to the fence-line, plus others in the bank which were too big for our pruning saws.

A week later, I was involved in clearing away some recently felled yew trees near to one of the entrances in the east woods. This was a case of dragging the branches into the undergrowth to degrade naturally.

We then spent the afternoon mulching the planted bed that was cleared last month.

The east woodland path had turned into sludge due to all the rain and frequent footfall. We had a really squelchy time clearing back overgrown holly along this route. However, this helped to widen the path making it easier for walkers.

It goes without saying that there are lots of litter picking in between. 

There was more clearing and mulching of planted beds, this time by the Spixworth Road entrance.

Whilst there, we noticed that some of the trees had become encrusted with ivy, so sections of it were removed to halt the spread and kill off the upper reaches.

March 2026

The ornamental wrought iron gates, piers and railings by the South Lodge entrance are a treasured part of Catton Park history. 

Designed by Barnard, Bishop and Barnard of Norwich c1860 (famous for the Norwich Gates of Sandringham Estate), these are annually pressure washed and painted where necessary to keep them looking at their best.

Any damage to these would prove extremely costly (as you can imagine).

Unfortunately, one of the piers has been hit and is currently awaiting repairs.

As you can see, the damaged pier has twisted on impact and needs resetting.

To prevent further problems, it has been necessary to install bollards to keep vehicles from parking too close.

 

There was an interesting change for my next visit....

Matt had volunteered our assistance for a local community project at Swansgate park.

We met with several other volunteers and community members to plant an avenue of trees along the footpaths.

There was a variety of about 22 trees in total, but with our combined effort, all of the planting was completed by lunchtime (despite the strong winds).

It was lovely meeting other dedicated, community spirited people.

Matt, Tabby and myself still had time for a bit of mulching back at Catton Park in the afternoon!

Who knows what I might be doing next time! 

Roll on spring!

January 2026. Some wintry scenes taken on the 6th! 

It was so cold, even the pond froze (including the usual flotsam 😠)....

There's nothing like a good work-out to keep you warm. Clearing planted beds on the edge of the west woods was just what we needed.....

.....you should have seen it before we started! It was covered with bramble, dead goosegrass, etc, etc.

To ease my aching back, Tabby and I followed up with a litter pick, but at just 3°C we were glad to be heading back to the lodge as soon as the sacks had been filled (shame that it's so unsurprising to find all that rubbish every time).

The middle of January was slightly milder but quite damp when we tackled our next assignment. 

The woodland where it meets the fence-line (towards the bottom of St Faiths Road) banks steeply in places. This was becoming overgrown, mainly by young elm, and needed coppicing. 

This was to be the start of a major task as it covers a fairly large expanse. Tabby, Chris and I picked a section and got to work.

The steep terrain coupled with the usual bramble made it difficult to keep a good footing. However, we were pleased with our mornings achievement.

For a change of pace, there was an additional apple tree that needed planting at the back of the orchard by Victoria pond, following a recent donation.

As expected, we continued coppicing elm (managing similar sized section each time), plus a bit more clearing of the planted beds that we started a couple of weeks previously. 

It was certainly a month for cutting back and clearing.

I shall end this post on another 'snow' covered scene....

This time it's a covering of snowdrops, which we came across (whilst tackling some more bramble) amongst our hazel beds on Oak Lane.

That's it for now, hope to be back in a few weeks with further updates.

Winter draw(er)s on!

There was a mixed bag of weather in the last week of November. The cold snap was replaced by some milder days.

It was on one of those days when a bunch of dead trees (situated in the small wooded area by the back of the Hall school) had been earmarked for felling . 

Unfortunately, one of the trees uprooted itself a few days earlier, so it had already been chain-sawed. 

As you can see, it was next to the path.

Matt, Tabby, Chris and myself were all involved. We cordoned off the area before work started.

To help direct the trees as they fell, a rope was attached midway and pulled taut as the chainsaw cut through the trunk. 

All of the smaller branches were then lopped or sawn and dragged into the undergrowth. 

The thicker pieces were cut into logs for transporting back to the lodge.

We still had time to continue coppicing laurel in the east woods. We don't like to rest on our laurels 😄.

December 2025. There was more team work the following week.

Tabby and I began the day by planting a new parkland tree (dedicated to a couple, celebrating 60 years of marriage).

 

Meanwhile, Matt and Chris were putting the finishing touches to a new 'viewing seat', situated at the top end of the park.

Christened by a dodgy looking set of characters!

Having rested, it was off for more coppicing. This time it was willow, quite a bit actually.

The long stems were lopped and tied into bundles, these will be destined for crafting purposes.

We had just enough time for a spot of litter picking. End of another busy day.

It was certainly a month for felling trees. Matt had hired a 'cherry picker' to facilitate chopping down some trees in the west woods.

We followed up the next day clearing away most of the branches. Two more trees (dead elms) were then removed by Oak Lane, near the car park and just behind the fence-line.

We were back there again on my last visit of the year (a bit further down the fence-line). We had the task of clearing overgrown bramble and vines, which had completely covered the fence. This was quite thick in places, and I think we were winning.....

   .....until the weather had its say and brought the day's proceedings to a premature end.   

  

Anyway, it just remains for me to say (including a rather damp Humphry) .....Merry Christmas 🎄🎄🎄

Hope you will join me for more updates in 2026.

Another busy month at the park

It's been a good year for conkers and chestnuts (although there doesn't seem to be much demand for either anymore). Unfortunately, that means the ground is littered with the husks as well, which can become a slip hazard on hard surfaces.  

The car park was one area that needed clearing whilst the ground was relatively dry. It won't be long before the leaf blowing gets started!

Other tree related hazards that are regularly checked are sloping trees, dead or dying trees or low hanging branches near pathways. We quite often carry out 'crown raising' but sometimes more rigorous measures are needed.

As you can see in the photo opposite, it was necessary to cut back these protruding trunks. This particular tree and a couple of others along St Faiths Road were selected for preventative maintenance. 

Care had to be taken due to some sections unavoidably landing onto the edge of the road. This meant waiting for a lull in the traffic.

Matt wielded the chainsaw whilst Tabby, Chris & I safely collected the downed pieces, chopped them into manageable chunks and disposed of them into the nearby undergrowth. 

The blackthorn whips that we planted along the wire fence in front of Catton hall in March 2022 have come along nicely, so much so that it was time for its first shaping as a hedge. 

Further along, the fence has become overgrown with dog rose and bramble (not that you could even see the fence 😀).

  

Cutting this lot back to the fence-line would be a  mammoth job.

Guess what our next task was?

Nevertheless, Tabby, Chris and I set to work. Armed with loppers, shears and a hedge-trimmer, we chopped and cut our way through. Then raked and loaded up the trailer.

By the end of the day, we had managed at least six heaped trailer loads of cuttings (the incinerator should make light work of this in a few days time).

Not bad hey?

There was more cutting back the following week, mainly brambles, nettles & snowberry by one of the entrances to the west woods. We also removed some small poplar trees that were growing just outside the Victoria pond.

However, I was amazed by the transformation that had occurred by the Humphry Repton sculpture. The city college volunteers had been busy again.

The sycamore that Amy and I coppiced behind the bench in October 2023 was looking like this again, yes, just two years growth!....

....completely blocking the view of the magnificent tree behind. 

Nettles and bramble had also started to take over. 

Not any more!

November 2025. My first visit of the month was unseasonably warm (17°C)!

We spent the day mulching trees, mainly the apple orchard but some in the picnic area too. That meant relieving the woodchip bay of three trailer loads, still tons left though.

The mild weather continued on my next visit, which involved coppicing laurel in various woodland locations.

The large beech tree which was showing signs of distress has had some tree surgery carried out (previously mentioned in my post 'Summer Branch Drop').

I happened to be passing on Tuesday when the work was underway....

Due to the nature of the work, this was outsourced to a local company.

They managed to save most of the tree for now. 

Lets hope that further work will not be necessary.

I can't believe that another year has nearly ended. It will nearly be Christmas by the time my  next post is ready for publishing!

Don't forget to like my post on FB if you've enjoyed it. 

Catton Park is having a Hayday!

                                                                                

Above: The fields have now been cut.

Right: The bales will probably be used as haylage.

There is less yield this year due to the long dry spells.

Meanwhile, back in May this year, we cleaned and oiled all of the wooden sculptures. It was now time for their second coating of the year. 

Whilst Tabby was adding the final touches to the main gates by the car park (which had been previously wire brushed and primed), Chris and I set about preparing the sculptures for another glossy coating.

The Tawny Owl; one of twelve which make up our sculpture trail. 

We need to keep them looking at their best!

The recent rains have woken up a multitude of fungi in the park....

....this is Chicken of the Woods (a type of bracket fungus), looking rather resplendent.

September 2025. Following the 'summer branch drop', our next task involved wood chipping some of the downed branches that had been chopped up for clearing.

I joined Tabby (once Matt had positioned the 'ravenous machine') to turn the branches into piles of wood chip.

'Feed me now!'   ♫

Dodging showers, we also managed to clear a section of fence-line from the top of Oak Lane along the 'buttercup meadow' pastures, whilst being provided with a splendid show of two juvenile Buzzards? 

I'd been hearing an unusual bird call over the last couple of weeks, and thought that it could have been a Red Kite (having googled for the sound). However, the only birds that I could see were the Buzzards. 

Has anyone seen a Red Kite nearby recently?

Meanwhile, the woodchip bay has been filling up fast (we regularly receive loads of woodchip from local tree surgeons).

However, we've removed quite a few trailer loads of the chippings to mulch the 'metal guarded' parkland trees.... 

....each tree needs at least 10 bucket loads of woodchip, that is, after it has been cleared of surrounding grass and weeds and the old woodchip raked out. 

A new group of city college volunteers have been introduced to the park. They made a good start by collecting 10 bags of litter, including various areas of undergrowth!

We continued the good work by filling 2 more bags of rubbish along the St Faiths Road fence-line, as well as cutting back the outgrowth of low branches, bramble etc.

If only people would take home their litter 😠

Back in May 2024, Chris and I trimmed the blackthorn hedge running along the drive from the lodge car park.

 

It was now time for another haircut (short top & sides)!

Strangely enough, it was Chris and I in attendance once more.

I love that it opens the view across the park.

Next, was a short trip to Victoria pond for a bit of 'surface skimming'. All too often the pond becomes littered with cans, bottles, wood, pond weed etc. 

Matt loaded up the jeep with all the usual paraphernalia and off we set. An old 'tennis court' net was weighted down and long lengths of rope were tied to either end. This was then stretched across the pond and dragged like a 'trawler net'. We managed to scoop up most of the floating menace. Quite effective!

October 2025. The farmer has arrived! As shown by the photos above.

After yet another litter pick, I accompanied Matt to cut back a section of overgrown branches, bramble and weeds by the back gate of the Hall school, dragging all of the cuttings into the undergrowth to rot down. Matt followed up with the mower for good measure.

 

This has really opened up the path.

A nearby willow was our last target of the day. Not far from another willow which had split its trunk and consequently got chopped up earlier this year. Similarly, the branches had grown outward but were very low to the ground. We dealt with this in similar fashion and opened up the area once more. 

This brings to an end another full and satisfying episode from my volunteers journal. Long may it continue!

Summer Branch Drop

It seems the weather has taken its toll on three large oaks in the park. The long dry spells this year coupled with the torrential rain on the 21st July has produced a phenomenon known as 'summer branch drop'.

Thankfully, no one was harmed by this catastrophic event.

I was invited to get a close-up of the damage on one of the trees. Matt had arranged the use of a 'cherry picker' to enable him to carry out some tree surgery.

 

The trunk had split away leaving a lot of unbalanced weight on one side of the tree.

This is the view I got!

The other two oaks also 'dropped' a large branch but that loss has, seemingly, not affected the integrity of the tree.

Elsewhere, I was involved in helping to address another problem; to restrict access by 'uninvited vehicles'.

Certain measures are being implemented as a result to damage on other nearby recreational spaces.

Soil banks have been placed near the Oak Lane entrance to the park. I assisted Matt in fencing-off one of those, so that it could be seeded.

Unfortunately, a necessary requirement to protect the peacefulness of this beautiful haven.

August 2025. Next up was a visit to the Deer Park (can't believe it was six months since I was last there). Matt had started to replace some of the old wire fencing by the entrance at the top of The Warren.

Our task was to clear a fifty metre section along an adjacent piece of fence-line, in preparation of the next phase. As we normally find, this was not straight forward as it was quite overgrown mainly with holly and thorn bushes.

As you can probably see, the old fence-line disappeared into the bushes.

Slowly, we chopped, lopped and sawed our way through, until....

Abracadabra! Where did that lot go?

Well, the first ten metres anyway....

Nevertheless, Tabby, Chris and myself did manage to clear the rest in similar fashion by lunchtime (or just about, as my back will confirm!).

Matt, in the meantime, was busy mowing nearby.... 

Helping out during the fourth 'heatwave' of the year certainly takes its toll on your work rate.

Still, Tabby and I, managed to make a good start on weeding the planted bed 'island' by the Oak Lane car park, followed by some cutting back around the main gates.

Breaking off to do a spot of litter picking, I came across some fungus at the foot of a large Beech tree, near to the spigot mortar base*.

This is Meripilus Giganteus (Giant Polypore).

 Apparently, the Beech is showing signs of distress (leaves starting to turn brown). 

The fungus causes white rot on the lower roots, contributing to the decomposition process.

*Sample photo. A mounting for a type of anti-tank weapon used by the Home Guard during WWII.

My next visit was a bit of a mixed bag. The plan was to wire brush, prime and paint parts of the main gates - a similar job to that carried out a couple of years ago.

However, as this was mainly a one-person job, I left Tabby to soldier on and decided to finish weeding the planted 'island bed' in the car park. I then moved on to do a bit of cutting back at the new Elm woodland project, to uncover some of the young plants plus some crown raising of the oaks by the nearby hoggin path.

When I returned, Tabby had been joined by Matt to apply a primer to the prepared surfaces.

I finished the day by tackling the hazel hedge by the back of the lodge. This had been reduced before but had grown at least 6-8 ft in height again.

Hopefully, my next post will report on harvesting of the meadow grass, it must be getting near that time!

Award winning Park

Can you name this wild flower? Read on to find out. 

Wort a luverly bunch!....

There's a section of Catton Park running parallel with the bottom of Oak Lane that we call 'the nuttery'. 

In December 2021 we planted lots of young hazel trees, which we've added to over time. However, like the subject of my last post, this too had become overgrown. So it was a case of trawling through the 'jungle' to find the hazels and cut back around them. I managed to strim a pathway through the thicket and had loppers at the ready for the inevitable brambles. Tabby and Chris set to work with shears.

We also coppiced a lot of young elm trees which had sprung up, shutting out the light. 

Hopefully, we have given them more space and light in which to continue their development....

....some young hazelnuts are beginning to form   (I bet the squirrels are keeping an eye on them)!

It's amazing what you find in the undergrowth....

Tabby certainly enjoyed the trip back to the lodge 😄

July 2025. I've started the month picking wild flowers, but I won't be making any floral arrangements.

Have you guessed it from the photo above?.... 

....Jacobaea Vulgaris or common Ragwort.

Actually, I've been pulling them up by their roots as it's poisonous to animals. Yes, it's that time of year again as we prepare for the hay baling harvest. I believe our hard work from previous years has so far reduced the abundance of this plant to a few handfuls (down from several barrow loads).

As Matt and Tabby were on a days training course, I also used the time to do a bit more cutting back and litter picking (never short of finding jobs).

The following week it was another hot day at the park. Tabby and I started with some work at the small lodge pond in the picnic area. The display board was past its best, so while I dismantled that, Tabby set about strimming the overgrown bits.

We followed this up by giving the end of the lodge a fresh coat of wood paint.

By jiminy! 

I managed to snap this curious little Bush Cricket along the way.

As usual at this time of year, it's a constant battle to keep the nettles and brambles at bay. So, the rest of the day involved keeping the entrances to the west woods clear of the encroaching menaces - not so easy in the heat and full sun (if only we could control the rate of growth 😃). 

Another constant battle is keeping Victoria pond clear of litter and debris.

Unfortunately, there are groups of mindless individuals who are hell bent on making as much trouble as possible, to the detriment of this award winning park.

This is what greeted me on my volunteering visit recently! 😠

Once again, other plans were put on hold in order to deal with this.

Chris donned the waders this time, as Tabby and I assisted in the latest clear-up.

Chris managed to find an ancient computer tower and monitor (what sort of person would go to the trouble of hauling this from wherever, just to chuck it in the pond!).

The final haul of the day, ready for removal.

A whole day spent on the wrong activity, but it shows the dedication needed to maintain this much loved open space.

As a precautionary measure, it was decided to remove as many dead logs and branches from the immediate vicinity that we could find.

A similar sized haul was gathered up and taken back to the works compound. 

All the wood was disposed in the incinerator.

With yet another Green Flag Community Award, I am proud to be part of this successful and dedicated team.

I will have more news from behind the scenes in a few weeks time. Hope you can join me.