Sunday 31 October 2021

Workday fencing at Styal on Sunday 31st October 2021

Seven of us met ranger Vicky in the car park at 09:30 to continue tasks funded by the government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund. Vicky was a few minutes late due to the weather so we all huddled in the Outdoor Education Centre to escape the torrential rain.

The work site was just a five minutes walk to a field used by the Bollin Valley Partnership to graze longhorn cattle, the job - taking out an old barbed wire fence in preparation for contractors coming in to erect a new stock fence. We had also worked in the same field in August, planting wildflower plugs.

We used loppers and bowsaws to clear the scrub away, took off the wire using fencing pliers and claw hammers
then dug out the fence posts.
Barbed wire fence has to be carefully rolled to stop it springing apart when laid flat.
We finished the day tidying up the edges of the popular walking path that skirts the field.
There’s nothing to show for all the hard work - but that’s the point!
The product of our labours, ready for disposal.
A very enjoyable day, especially as the rain stopped soon after we started work and held off until we were back in the car park.

Text and photo's from Jean

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