Balsam bashing at Styal on 26 June 2016

Three of spent today at Styal, continuing the balsam bashing in the southern woods past Heronspool bridge that we started on when we were last down there on 12 June.  Because rain was forecast and we had reached the end of a section we decided to finish early.

Adrian

Photo: Adrian Potts

Drainage work at Hayfield on 19 June 2016

Four of us visited Hayfield today for a day's drainage unblocking with rangers Shane and Myles.  Unusually we didn't have an official worksite leader (Sue had to be elsewhere) but the rangers were happy for the day to go ahead and we worked under their supervision.  Neil collected the spades from the toolstore on his way over and picked up the Lemon Drizzle cake that Sue had made!

One drain was so badly blocked that after twice digging through three feet of soil it was decided to bring in a digger to excavate the drain.  We cleared four drains and also on the road down we cleared six of the run offs to stop water cascading down the road taking the stone and gravel with it.

Coffee and cake break after a lot of digging (photo: Neil Bonner)

Neil

Balsam bashing at Styal on 12 June 2016

Five of us spent today pulling up balsam in the southern woods at Styal.  Despite the rain we got a lot done although much remains for other groups to uproot.

Adrian

photo: Adrian Potts

30th birthday party at the Atcost Building, Styal Estate on Saturday 11th June 2016

54 people (members past and present, spouses/partners and children) gathered today at the Atcost Building in Styal to celebrate our 30th birthday.  The committee had chosen this venue because we wanted to hold the party on NT land and at a local property where over the years we have done a lot of work... plus its use was free (thank you Styal Estate)!

People arrived from 2pm in time for 'prime time' (speeches, slideshow, cake) from 3-4pm.  Ranger Colin did a fantastic job ferrying people in heavy rain from the main Quarry Bank Mill carpark round to the venue and at 3:15 the Chairman got the party started.  He welcomed everyone to the party (some having travelled a fair distance - e.g. from Kirby Lonsdale and Harrogate), explained why we were at the Atcost Building, recapped on the recent history of the group for those who had lost touch, mused on reasons for the longevity of the group and read out messages of congratulations and good wishes from Tim Jarvis (our honorary member) and Peter Nixon (senior director at NT Head Office in Swindon and an important influence in the group's formative years).  In closing he thanked the committee for organising the party, in particular Tricia for the fantastic handmade MNTV-themed bunting (it really jollied the place up) and Matt for the upcoming slideshow.

The Chairman welcomes everyone...
(photo: Sue Bonner)

Alex Dawson (founder member and early Chairman) then spoke about the group's formation and early days (which seemed to him only yesterday!) and reminisced about life in the 80s, pre-internet, email and website/blog.  Early newsletters were typed on a typewriter, and news of workdays was circulated by post and phone!  The way we communicate among ourselves, with the Trust and advertise the group may have changed but the work we do for Trust is as valuable now as then.

The speeches were followed by Matt's superb slideshow that over 20 minutes covered the history of the group, the what/where/when of our activities over three decades, the couples who have met in rhodybushes or ponds (Andy said we have a lot more success than most dating agencies!) and moments to remember the people who have left us far too soon.  'The End' was met with thunderous applause.  Many people said they'd love to see the slideshow again and we will see if we can upload it to You Tube or burn it on to CDs to distribute.

It's not a birthday party without cake and we had two for the occasion - one covered in photos from the 1980s/90s and the other with photos from the 2000s/2010s.  Alex Dawson blew out the candles and we all sang Happy Birthday and toasted with prosecco 30 years of fun and friendship with many more to come.

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you...
(photo: Karin Frood)

Everyone enjoyed then continuing to catch up with their contemporaries and paging through the numerous photoalbums that record the group's history.  Groups tackled the quiz (Round 1: Name that property; Round 2: Name that tool; Round 3: 'National Trust') and several entries were submitted.  The winner will soon be notified.

The party drew to a close from 5:30 and as they left one and all said what a fantastic afternoon they'd had and how much they'd enjoyed the reunion.  The committee had organised a really good bash.  What will we have to talk about at our monthly meetings now that the big event of the year is out of the way?!

Daniel Black
MNTV Chairman

Balsam bashing at Dunham Massey, Sunday 5th June 2016

We'd not been to Dunham for a while but it's always a popular venue, and sure enough a baker's dozen turned out from MNTV, joining forces with Merseyside and Chester volunteers to make a 23-strong army to tackle Himalayan Balsam in the woods to the north of the main park.

The deer were out in force in front of the house on a gloriously sunny and hot day with temperatures in the mid- 20s. Thankfully the woods gave us some shade to work under.

The balsam was easy to pull, but was growing among nettles in many places, so stings aplenty were incurred along the way.

With balsam

Without balsam

Cake aplenty was also incurred, as Lisa's brownies and shortbread (shop-bought this week due to her oven having exploded!) were supplemented by others that Adrian bought, plus two lemon drizzle cakes provided by ranger Natalie and Anne Yates MBE.

Five tiny chicks we uncovered

As the afternoon wore on, the day was ended 15 mins early when we suddenly came across a nest in the middle of the patch we were clearing, with five newborn chicks that promptly starting begging to be fed! We piled up some cut balsam to replace the cover that we had just cut down, and left the chicks in peace before enjoying very close views of the deer on our return through the park.

Deer in the park

Happy people