Woodland work at Lyme Park on Sunday 8th February 2026

Ten MNTVers, including Jasmin, a new recruit, met Jimmy the Ranger in the main carpark at 9.30am.  Jimmy said we’d be working along West Drive so some set off walking there and others drove and parked in The Knott carpark.

Jimmy took his vehicle along West Drive to where we’d be working.  He showed us the steep slope we’d need to climb to bring down the birch trees that had already been cut and left on the slope, either in piles or just randomly dropped.

Once we’d started bringing them down and putting them into piles near the road, Jimmy went to get his tractor and trailer so the trees could be loaded and transported to Crow Wood, near the children’s play area, to be used for dead hedging (habitat piles in the shape of a hedge).

The work was challenging and tiring, but we started making a difference quite quickly.  As it was hard working on such a steep slope, we tried not to move too much and instead formed human chains so the birch could be passed down the slope from person to person to make it easier and safer.

Ranger Jason turned up to join us, which was a help.  We started flagging a bit so had an early coffee break and cake, but got back to the task fairly quickly afterwards and started loading the tractor trailer.  After another 90mins or so, we had an early lunch with more cake!

After lunch, some of us went on the slope opposite to pull out some rhododendron regrowth while the rest of us finished stacking the birch and filling the trailer.

It was a tiring day but very enjoyable, especially when the sun came out in the afternoon.  The rangers were very complimentary about how much we’d managed to get done, and the quality of our work, which made it all worthwhile.

Sue

Dead hedging at Alderley Edge on Sunday 1st February 2026

Nine of us gathered at the carpark at Alderley Edge this morning. We were expecting rain so had dressed for bad weather, but as it turned out we were wrong and it stayed dry all day - we even got a bit of blue sky.

The task was dead hedging in Clockhouse Wood (on the way to Hare Hill) continuing the work MNTV did on the 11th January.  The instructions for how to walk to the worksite were fun, and mentioned several of the places we have worked at Alderely Edge before:

    Turn right down the path - where we had trimmed a hawthorn hedge

    Down the path to the “super high” stile

    Along the path edged with gorse bushes - that we have previously trimmed

    Turn left onto the path - where we had cut back and cleared vegetation

    Past the bench that Andy and Neil had moved

    Over another stile and turn right to find the dead hedge the group started earlier in January

The only hitch was that Issy must walk quicker than we do. She said 10 mins walk - we did it in 20.

We continued building the dead hedge beside the path, moving and sorting the felled silver birch, finding straight lengths to make into stakes, shaping the ends to a point with an axe, then hammering the stakes in to make a channel for the cut wood.

We weaved the cut branches between the stakes to form a nice edge to the path. This will help create a wildlife area by cordoning off some of the wood from visitors. We got lots of compliments and thanks from passers by.  

Jenny

Rhodybash at Lyme Park on Sunday 25th January 2026

Nine of us met Ranger Jason on a cold and wet morning then hiked up to the current work area in Lantern Wood.  There’s a regular volunteer rhody bashing group during the week who cut down a lot but in the wet conditions they fall behind with the burning.  This is the third such session this winter and it’ll continue like this until bird nesting season.

We started cutting down the piles of brash into more burnable size while Jason started the fire.  But we had the same problem with the weather, very dank, so it took a long time to get a fire under way.  In fact, a second fire was abandoned and we concentrated on building up the first.

Jason told us about the Trust’s plan for the woods which is developing over a 50 years+  time period.  The wood was originally moorland that one of the previous occupants of Lyme Park planted with pine trees.  This gradually dried out the soil.  The current project, estimated to continue for another six years, will clear the rhododendron and the ground should start to slowly revert back to peat.  A few pines will be left to create a wildlife corridor connecting the surrounding moorland.

On the walk back down to the carpark we met some of the Highland cattle now resident at Lyme.  They seemed a lot happier with the weather conditions than we were.

Jean

A change of plan...on the Styal Estate - Sunday 18th January

Ten of us met up with Stuart to remove ivy from hedges on Apprentice Lane.  Change of plan ... a hedge in fields just of the car park was a more pressing task.

We worked down here two years ago removing fencing from one side of the path.  Now the rangers are in the process of laying the hedge on the other side but it is full of ivy which needs removing first.  Time is of the essence as no sooner than you know it March will be here and hedge laying has to stop because of nesting birds.

It was forecast to be wet all day and we did start in the rain but by late morning it stopped and didn't start again until we got back to our cars at home time.

We always have people saying hello and in same cases thanking us for what we are doing, but today more people than ever thanked us as they walked past. It really makes you feel that coming out on a grey, miserable, wet day is all worthwhile. 

Thanks to Stuart for a great workday and to my colleagues for their hard work and good company.

Christine

Building a Dead Hedge at Alderley Edge on Sunday 11th January 2026

8 volunteers braved the weather at Alderley Edge on Sunday 11th January.  The task set was coppicing and dead hedging in Clockhouse Wood, this is an area that the rangers are turning into a hazel coppice.  Dead hedging not only creates habitat but also keeps visitors to the path and the rangers are hoping to introduce dormice eventually!

It was a very cold and windy day with lots of sideways rain, we were all well prepared in layers of clothing, waterproofs and numerous pairs of gloves (they kept getting wet).

We met the rangers at the compound and split up into two groups, some people travelled to site in the land rover and some walked.

Once at the site we were given a talk about the task and then split up into small groups so that we could work on each section of the hedge and eventually join up.

The photo below is the site as we found it, the path is on the left and on the right is all the coppiced material we would be using for the hedge.

Before photo

A couple of people chose to make the stakes for the hedge (see photo below).

Making stakes

Some people hammered in the stakes.

Hammering in stakes

Everyone else started to sort the brash and layer the hedge.

Laying the hedge

We had a tea break late morning and managed to find a relatively sheletered place under some holly bushes/trees.

By lunchtime we had completed most of the hedge and it was getting very cold, we made a group decision to work for around another hour and finish slightly earlier once we had completed the section of hedge that the rangers had planned out.

End of workday group photo

Completed Hedge

Despite the weather it was a good task to do and we were very pleased with the finished result as were the rangers.

Denise
Worksite Leader 

Social - Winter Walk at Dunham Massey - Sunday 4th January 2026

 Happy New Year!

On Sunday 4th January 2026 instead of our usual Sunday workday we had a social event, a winter walk at Dunham Massey followed by cakes in the tea room (yummy).

Seven volunteers attended the walk and we spent a lovely hour strolling through the parkland, we saw lots of frozen ponds, a few deer and plenty of cakes!

Dunham Massey House

Cake stop - so many lovely cakes

Group photo

Social - National Trust Castlefield Viaduct and Christmas Markets - Sunday 21st December 2025

On Sunday 21st December we had a social event to Castlefield Viaduct and Manchester Christmas Markets, this was to replace the usual workday that we would normally have on a Sunday.

Denise and her partner, Paul were joined by Jean and Tim.  

The 330 metre long Grade II listed viaduct sits in Castlefield, the oldest part of the city of Manchester.  The viaduct was built in 1892 by Heenan and Froude (the same engineers that worked on Blackpool Tower).  The viaduct used to carry heavy rail traffic in and out of Manchester Central Station and Great Northern Warehouse until 1969.

Since 1969 the viaduct has stood unused, the National Trust have since transformed the viaduct into a 'sky garden'.

 

Phase 1

Phase 1

Phase 1

At the end of the walkway there is a visitors centre which which was very welcome after a cold walk through the viaduct.

Moss

The National Trust have secured funding to support Phase 2 of the viaduct re-development.

Phase 2 - photo taken from the visitors centre

After the visit we made our way into Manchester and stopped at the Christmas Markets for a drink and a bite to eat.

It was a lovely day, the viaduct was so peaceful and an interesting place, good views of Manchester too.