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