Fencing at Styal on Sunday 28th November 2021

Seven of us met up with Craig on a crisp winter's morning for a task that was hopefully going to keep us warm.

Our worksite was only a very short walk from the car park on the path leading to the steps down to the mill.  A cleft fence had been started by another group and unfortunately it wasn't as level as Craig would have liked, so our first job was to take part of it out and put it back deeper in the ground so it was all of the same height.  Once this was done we continued erecting the fence going away from the car park towards the steps.

It did at times prove quite a hard task as we were having to dig into sandstone  this meant in a few cases the posts had to be shortened. None of this was made any easier by the snow that started to fall late morning.

Just as we were packing up we had a visit from Craig's family whose two daughters went home very happily with the four remaining cup cakes.

Thanks to Craig and my colleagues for a very productive workday.

Andy Hill

Rhody bashing at Lyme Park on Sunday 21st Nov 2021

Fourteen of us (including 2 newbies) met Ranger Claire in the main car park at Lyme Park, to go rhody bashing in Coal Pit Clough.

We walked from the car park, though the deer enclosure and stood on the slope down to the stream while Claire gave a tools talk and explained that we'd be working on both sides of the stream. She suggested that we had a fire on each side to burn the rhody so we didn't have to keep crossing the stream. Unfortunately it was very muddy and, with working on a steep slope, we had to move quite slowly and carefully so we didn't slip and fall in the mud!

Both fires were slow to ignite as we were in quite a deep ravine and there was little wind to help the fires get going.

Fire's on either side of the stream

Some of the group did however find some very large trunks and roots of rhody, that they just 'had' to remove!

The really big rhody root that was removed

We also saw Sue D, who is a MNTV volunteer as well as being a volunteer at Lyme Park. Even though she was Rangering at Lyme today, she managed to take some time out to come and find us and say hello.

working hard!

Although it was a dank day, we still got a lot done and Claire seemed delighted with what we'd achieved by the end:-)  

Break for lunch

Photo's from Adrian and Sue

Removing fencing at Styal on Sunday 14th November 2021

On a beautiful morning,  caught out by the surprise ice on the car, 6 on us met up with Stuart in the car park at Styal.

From there we had a shortish walk to our work site for the day to continue with a job we started three weeks previously of removing fencing from around ponds in a field that is used for cattle.  Luckily they had moved the cattle for us but left plenty of cow pats.

We set to and cleared a fair section before stopping to observe the 2 minutes' silence at 11:00 and then have our brew.  By lunchtime we had almost finished the pond area that had been allocated but Stuart, once that had been completed, pointed us in the direction of the next fenced area to be cleared.

It was a good day and Stuart was more than made up with what we had achieved.  Thanks to everyone who turned up for all the hard work and to Stuart for having us.

Before ...

... and after

Christine

Tree thinning at Alderley Edge on Sunday 7th November 2021

11 of us met today at Alderley Edge to continue the job we began on 17th October - digging up and cutting down birch saplings in an area of woodland across the road from the Wizard Car Park.  Removal of the saplings will allow bilberry and heather to re-establish beneath the native trees.

Unusually we were unsupervised (the ranger does not work weekends), but we knew what we were doing from our visit last month.  Tree poppers were an excellent tool to pull up the small saplings and proved that the right tool for the job makes things so much easier (and enjoyable!).

In the morning, half the group worked in the same area as on 17th October and the other half worked in a new area across the lane.  All morning, both groups struggled to get a bonfire going despite valiant efforts!

We took cake and coffee at 11:00, lunch at 1 and called it a day at 3.  Three people had to leave after lunch so at close of play eight of us remained to make the fire safe and return the tools to the rangers' toolshed.

Daniel