Cancelled - workday at Alderley Edge on Sunday 23rd February 2025

Daniel's days as workday leader are jinxed at the moment.  First he had to miss one in October because of flu, then Christmas in Cymru was curtailed because of a storm, the Hayfield day in January was cancelled for the same reason and then today's coppicing and tree planting at Alderley Edge was cancelled first thing in the morning because of high winds.  Such a shame, and not least because 13 had signed up so it was set to be our biggest turnout since last August.

He hurriedly at 8:15 emailed the group and sent texts to those who were coming to say it's off.  Nonetheless he went via Adrian's to Alderley to check if anyone had not got the cancellation messages and had turned up and so met Charlie, Mike and Martin.

What to do with 24 slices of chocolate cake?  It was much enjoyed by Megan, his parents and in-laws over the next week!

Next week we are at Lyme Park for our last rhodybash of the season.  Hopefully that day goes ahead and we see you there!

There are five workdays to go until our year end on 31st March, so if you are close to 50 hours for the year (since 1st April last year) then come along for a day or two to reach 50 hours and you'll earn a Volunteer Card as a thank you for your commitment to the cause and get the benefits for a year that go with it.

Daniel 

Hedge planting at Hardcastle Crags on Sunday 16th February 2025

Four from MNTV travelled to Hardcastle Crags on a dry but very cold day, to help Ranger Alice and three of the Hardcastle Crags volunteers continue planting a hedge along the side of one of the paths.

It was to be a mixed hedge containing 68% hawthorn, 16% hazel, 11% crab apple and 5% dog rose.  There were also some rowan trees that were planted every 10 metres or so where there weren't existing overhanging trees nearby.

The 2,500 hedge and tree saplings, support canes and spiral protectors were all provided by the Woodland Trust and were being used to create wildlife corridors so small animals could travel more safely from one wooded area to another.  To help with that, the hedge was planted two saplings deep so there'd be plenty of width to the hedge for the wildlife to hide in, once it was fully grown.

Other volunteers had already planted 350 of the hedge saplings on previous occasions, and our group managed to finish the full length by planting a further 250 hedge saplings during our workday.

We had a coffee break in the field around 11:15, but walked back to Hollin Hall, the Rangers base, for our lunch break so we could sit 'al fresco' on proper picnic chairs and tables.

It was here that we were surprised to see a frame and the internal workings of a piano propped up, so asked Ranger Alice about it.

Sadly it had been fly-tipped on the Hardcastle Crags estate, down into a dip so it had to be winched out due to its weight.  What to do with it now was a bit of an issue, and there was discussion about whether it could be repurposed into a harp or other musical instrument, or whether it should be disposed of.

As we were finishing our planting in the afternoon, Victor's conversation started telling us about his running and yoga and how, during a recent yoga class, they were asked to do a headstand, but not many could do it.  He said that he'd been able to and, quick as a flash, walked further into the field and demonstrated it for us - amazing!!

We had a great day working with Alice and were delighted that we'd managed to do so much.

Sue B

Maintenance tasks at Dunham Massey on Sunday 9th February 2025

Today was our first workday at Dunham since 15th October 2023, because of ranger changes and Dunham reducing the opportunities for volunteers to help with estate work.

The weather was cold but dry so it was a very busy day at Dunham with lots of family groups and dogs.

The first task of the day for the nine-strong group of MNTVers was to give some TLC to the oldest tree on the estate.  This ‘veteran’ oak is about 500 years old and because it’s at the main entrance to the estate it gets a lot of attention from visitors.  So we spent about 90 mins spreading mulch in the surrounding area.  This will protect the roots and also provide nutrition.

Not much change to the scene but hopefully the work we did will help our ‘veteran’ survive another hundred years.

The next 90 mins was spent clearing out the cobbled edging to the path by the mill. 

This was another basic job but it will reduce the chances of the path flooding.

It was a short day due to reduced Ranger availability and both of today’s tasks were routine maintenance jobs. But that’s what keeps a National Trust property running.

Jean

Ivy clearance at Quarry Bank Mill on Sunday 2nd February 2025

Today eight of us continued the work started by our group on Sunday 15th December on Apprentice Lane of clearing the ivy that was growing through the hawthorn hedge (and in places, likely holding it up!).  By clearing the ivy and giving the hedge some space to flourish it’s hoped that in a couple of years it will be in a better condition to be able to lay it and create a decent barrier between the lane and the fields.

Although it was harder work on one side of the lane than the other to remove the ivy without getting scratched, it was a nice day, dry weather, cold but occasionally sunny, and there was some good banter between everyone.

We were pleased to welcome a new volunteer who joined us today.

We managed to fill a lot of hippo bags with ivy and they were taken to the nearby compound, and it was satisfying by the end of the day to see how much ivy we had cleared.

Sue B