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.
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| Before photo |
A couple of people chose to make the stakes for the hedge (see photo below).
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| Making stakes |
Some people hammered in the stakes.
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| Hammering in stakes |
Everyone else started to sort the brash and layer the hedge.
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| 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.
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| End of workday group photo |
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| 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
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