Sunday 26th May 2024 - Spring Bank Holiday weekend - no workday

Balsam bashing at Speke on Sunday 19th May 2024

As a result of having a "wall to wall sunshine" workday today, Ranger Simon suggested that instead of doing the original task of ditch clearing/digging and footpath clearing in Stockton's Wood, which would have been very hot for us all, we instead balsam bashed on another part of the estate which would be in the shade and cooler for us.

So, after the six MNTV volunteers met Simon in the main car park at 10am we carried our gear part of the way back down the drive, through a field with some beautiful Southern Marsh orchids and over to a pond where we started pulling up the Himalayan Balsam and snapping the roots off so it didn't regrow.

We worked our way around the pond and had moved further away to a nearby field by break time where we stopped to have coffee and cake!!

After some more balsam bashing, moving further down a wire fence on both sides clearing the balsam, we had lunch and Simon nipped off to get some of his other jobs done.

By the time he came back, we finished up, took our gear back to our cars, changed our footwear, dropped off our rucksacks and joined him by the Tudor hall that Speke is famous for.  After he'd taken a group photo we were invited to have a look round the hall in our own time before heading home.

Simon was delighted by what we'd achieved and we were pleased to start our season of balsam bashing unexpectedly early :-)

Sue

                             

                               

                                                

   

Edging a footpath at Styal on Sunday 12th May 2024

Today's workday was at Styal with Ranger Craig.  Ten of us met in the Volunteers section of the car park above the mill then drove in convoy behind Craig's pickup along Altrincham Road and parked at the end of the airport access road.  The worktask was edging a section of the footpath from the access road to the Valley Lodge hotel.

It was a warm muggy day and we found it hard work in the heat.  Thunderstorms were forecast from mid-afternoon but fortunately didn't arrive until the evening.  We needed an early break for elevenses (Daniel had baked a sultana cake) and lunch and took impromptu water breaks.  Throughout the day a steady procession of walkers, dogs and mountain bikers passed by.  Several commented on what a good job we were doing.

By 2:30pm we were wilting and called it a day.  Craig was pleased with our efforts and other corporate volunteer groups (who now pay £30 per person for a day's volunteering with the Styal team) will continue the footpath edging from where we stopped.

Our work was accompanied by the continuous sound of aircraft taking off and landing.  There was a lull in activity at lunchtime because for some reason the air traffic controllers swapped over the directions of take offs and landings.

Daniel

Sunday 5th May 2024 - Early May Bank Holiday weekend - no workday

37th AGM on Thursday 2nd May 2024

We held our AGM tonight by zoom.

Nine members attended: Adrian, Ally, Andy S, Daniel, Denise, Gaynor, Jenny, Karin, Sue B.

Apologies were received from Anne Yates, Christine and Andy Hill, Jean, Neil and Tricia.

The meeting started at 7:30pm and ended at 8:50 and covered the following matters:

Apologies for absence

Approval of minutes of 2023 AGM

Matters arising from those minutes (none)

Chairman's report for the year ending 31st March 2024

Treasurer's report for the year ending 31st March 2024

Election of committee for 2024-25 (Adrian, Ally, Chris, Daniel, Denise and Jenny)

AOB

After the AGM, Chris Hunter (Formby Ranger) gave us a very interesting and informative talk about the projects that the Formby team are currently focused on.  The two big projects are centred on Victoria Road and Lifeboat Road.  The carpark on Victoria Road is now in a moving dune system, the result of years' of dune erosion in some places and accretion in others, and the plan is to move the carpark to another area.  The planning application for the new carpark was rejected but was appealed by the NT and is being reassessed.  The outcome should be known soon and if successful work is scheduled to begin in September.  The Lifeboat Road project would see the creation of a visitor centre.

Chris was heavily involved with volunteers last year.  Three new volunteer groups were established and and their efforts were focused on footpath and woodland work.  There is plenty for MNTV to help with, especially footpath work and the barrowing of stones to site and breaking stones on site.

Thanks for Chris for giving up his evening to talk to us.  We all enjoy working at Formby because the rangers make us very welcome, give us varied tasks to do and are very appreciative of our efforts ... plus it's a beautiful site.  The prospect of pizza from their newly built pizza oven (see workday on 28th April) is an added inducement!

Log splitting and other tasks at Formby on Sunday 28th April 2024

Today seven of us had a ride out to the seaside where we met up with eleven of our Merseyside colleagues whose original worksite had been cancelled.

Ranger Chris had a number of jobs he needed doing:

1. Build a work bench

2. Cut and split tree trunks

3. Bag up dried logs (after testing moisture content) and move bagged logs to storage shed

4. Re-stack empty shelves with logs cut and split today

5. A bit of litter picking on the beach

I forgot one important task which was carried out by Jenny and Denise.  They prepared everything for our pizzas for lunch.  Chris and his colleagues had built a pizza oven and last time we were there they promised us pizzas if they got the oven going, so we went armed with toppings and dough to add to what Chris had very kindly supplied.

It was interesting to see the shelving that we had helped to make now in use.  Also, I haven't seen a log splitter before that cut the logs prior to splitting them.

It was nice to meet up with our Merseyside friends again and we look forward to working with them again soon.

Thank you to my colleagues for their hard work and a big thank you to Chris for such a varied workday but especially for providing us with pizzas.

Christine

Fence removal at Styal - Sunday 21st April 2024

 On Sunday 21st April nine volunteers had a wonderful workday at Quarry Bank Mill, Styal.  The weather was glorious all day which always makes it a much better day for everyone.

The task was removing a 600m fence along a footpath - was it really 600m? it's hard to say but it was certainly long!

Brute force needed to pull fence!

It was very hard work as the fencing had been there so long it had embedded into the edge of the footpath.

Fencing post removal

Sometimes you just need to give the post a good wack as shown below.

The amount of vegetation holding the fence in place was unbelievable.

Hawaiian skirt?

Fence removed

It was a very hot day and we were grateful to the Quarry Bank Mill staff who provided us with urns of water.

End of Day Group shot - what a day!

Denise 
Worksite Leader