Rain stop play

May 2023. We've had a few thunder storms this month.

In all of my volunteering days I don't recall the weather ever holding us back, but that was to change.

We started the morning spreading hardcore for a new stretch of 'hoggin' path and then moved on to cutting back and removing some young dead trees along the footpath by the lodge. 

 

The sky turned black and the heavens opened up. I had my waterproofs on but this was something else! I rushed to find cover but with the thunder close by, we decided to head for the lodge and took shelter in the workshop. The rain was now torrential and water flowed like a river down towards the car park.

It didn't let up for two hours, so we took an early lunch and sat it out in the lodge.

Thankfully, the rain cleared and the sun came out, so it was back to more clearing and cutting back. This time it was along the fence-line between the car park and buttercup meadow.

Work started in the car park the following week. The grass strip between the entrances, is to be woodchipped and have shrubs planted. To do this, we began removing soil to a required depth. Although several barrow loads were removed, we only managed a small strip. 

For the afternoon, we decided on some slightly less back-breaking work. Another overgrown bed was in serious need of clearing around the planted shrubs. On a corner near the dead 'climbing tree', armed with shears and a strimmer, we managed to cut back the nettles, grass & weeds.

            Before.....

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                After....

Finally....

We had a surprise visitor back at the lodge when we opened the bin to dispose of the old broken canes & shrub guards!

Reclaiming paths

 April 2023.

The Catton park fence-line along St Faiths Road was becoming overgrown with weeds, grass, leaves etc, which was effectively reducing the width of clear pavement.

So, with the help of the city college volunteers, we have commenced clearing this back. Armed with shovels, loppers, broom & a litter picker, we are gradually making our way up from the junction. 

In between these sessions we have carried out further mulching and strimming around the park, as the need arises. The woodchip pile is, however, looking very depleted at the moment.

Other paths inside the park were also in need of reclaiming. During the autumn and winter months, some areas which are regular routes for visitors have been turned into beaten tracks. In order to get the grassland back, Matt the warden has rotavated the ground and mown the grass next to the paths as an alternative walkway. 

If the full width of this new walkway is used, it may prevent further beaten tracks whilst the grass continues to grow.

Of course, the rotavated area now needs seeding. This was our next job. The seed was a mixture of several varieties ideal for meadows and included clovers, yarrow, vetch, ribwort plantain & birdsfoot trefoil.  

Using buckets to measure out the seed, we slowly walked either side of the churned soil, carefully spreading the seed until we had covered the 300m stretch.

Since then, other beaten tracks have received similar attention and further 'mown' pathways have been added.

We're now into May and another session of clearing the fence-line along St Faiths Road, which is now all but complete.

With the woodchip pile depleted, we are using grass cuttings for mulching. The developing hedge-line by Catton Hall was beginning to get overgrown since it was last mulched. We cleared this back and surrounded the young blackthorn/hawthorn shrubs with layers of the cuttings.

There should be plenty more where that came from!