How exciting to have Darnford Moors Ecology Park now open and exhibiting early evidence of increased biodiversity. Moorhens and mallards are in residence, English bluebells, planted in October, are appearing; fruit and pollen-bearing trees are in blossom and rare black poplars were planted at the official opening. I look forward to seeing catkins on the established black poplars (planted in the 1990s by Hilary Smith and the late Mike Battisson) to find out if either of them is a very rare female! No doubt there will be more flora and fauna too.
It has been a very wet quarter and we have had to use wheelbarrows to spread soil and sand at Gallows Reach and Fosseway Heath to combat the extremely slippery mud on the paths, so well used by the public. We have also been troubled by other people’s rubbish on our sites, including fly-tipping of fencing and other items on Gallows Reach, which our DofEs loaded onto a trailer for removal. Bobbie’s Bend was littered with tree guard sleeves of which we removed ten builders’ sacks to the hard plastic recycling at the tip. Although we do use them, there were far too many to keep.
However, it gave us a chance to tidy up that area: the willow was cut back and some of the offcuts planted; the dog rose on the fence around the bywash was pruned and Nigel’s Monday DofE team and our Saturday team made good looking new fencing from weaving the longer lengths and pegging them in with stakes.
Peter and Jeanne Buck planted eight fruit trees on the north side of the canal, as a long-awaited continuation of the ‘orchard’ Mike Battisson had wanted there. (It was begun years ago by Queen’s Croft students, but only two trees survived). It is now to be known in memory of Mike as ‘Battisson’s Reach’.
Nigel’s Monday group spent several weeks at Fosseway Heath, finishing cutting back the gorse, and one Saturday session was used to collect all the offcuts, which were taken away to burn safely.
Given all the work at Darnford Moors Ecology Park it’s perhaps surprising that the Saturday Grounds/DofE group have only had one session there. Our commitment to ecology is evidenced by the fact that, despite the sadness of having to fell unsafe mature trees at Tamworth Road, they were chipped and a huge load of chippings taken to Darnford Moors.
Thanks to our Saturday team and a small group of Year 10 students from Queen’s Croft High School (so good to have them back after four years) the chippings were spread on the woodland paths, making more ecological sense.
A group of Year 11s also helped, in the rain, to prepare for the opening by loading the trailer and by cleaning mud from the Lift Bridge.
The Saturday work party has tidied our Swan Island (old Lock 19) so our wire mesh swans can now be seen! Similarly, the half-size brick-built narrow boat, Fosseway Queen, is back to being in full view from Falkland Road.
We’ve had a record average of 15 DofEs on Saturdays, and five on Mondays and we’ve been delighted to get requests from the ‘Heavy Brigade’ to do preparatory work. In advance of them starting work around Wood Lock 18 early in the year we removed bricks and stone from the canal channel, which will be used to fill gabion baskets forming the retaining wall by the cottage.
It’s been quiet for corporate groups: just one group from EasyFundraising , spreading chippings at Darnford Moors and one from Tesco, tackling Muckley Common with the big mower and manual tools under Paul Brettell’s supervision and with Grounds team members’ help, too.
Christine Bull
Environment Trustee
