The Sunday before last (19th July 2015) a few SACV volunteers were out in Chorlton Water Park and planted wildflowers (such as cow-slips and self-heal) on the edge of a path surrounding Chorlton Water park (heavy work as the ground was hard!). After a well-deserved lunch, the next task was to lay woodchip on a woodland path, finishing off the work started at our visit here in early June. Finally there was some planting, including butterfly-friendly buddleia, in a bird-feeding area. A productive day!
Volunteers at work 1
Volunteers at work 2
Volunteers take a break
Posted in Paths | Tagged Chorlton Water Park, Mersey Valley |
Today some of us were out pulling ragwort, topping thistles and cutting bracken in glorious weather in the meadows at Tegg’s Nose. There were lots of lovely wildflowers to spot including orchids and field pansies. Well-deserved ice-creams for all afterwards!
Volunteers at work
Wildflowers
Volunteer at work
Work in progress
Posted in Meadows | Tagged Cheshire East Rangers, Tegg's Nose Country Park |
Yesterday was a day of maintaining the path through the woodland at Chorlton Water Park, laying woodchip and removing some of the encroaching vegetation. The woods were a good place to shelter from the intermittent rain, although by the time we had finished the skies were blue again!
Canine volunteer on the woodchip pile
Volunteer with wheelbarrow
The completed path 1
The completed path 2
The completed path 3
The sky through the trees
Posted in Paths | Tagged Chorlton Water Park, Mersey Valley | 1 Comment »
Last weekend was SACV’s second residential weekend of the year, working as usual with the Peak Park Conservation Volunteers (PPCV). Our activity for the Saturday was to help at Tittesworth Water with the renovation of a “butterfly beach”: this area is intended to encourage a range of butterfly species in the area and uses sand as ground cover because it reflects the light and can create the warm conditions that butterflies like for basking. Then, on the Sunday, we took part for the first time in the Pick-and-Play day which has been an annual event for a few years and is organised by Peak Mountaineering and PPCV; this involved doing some litter-picking in the morning and then being rewarded in the afternoon with a choice of outdoor activities. We SACV volunteers opted for the climbing and abseiling – and had a great afternoon! Many thanks to Peak Mountaineering for the provision of these activities and the excellent instruction!
Starting work on the butterfly beach
The butterfly beach and Tittesworth Water
Butterfly sign
SACV volunteer at work
Setting off on the litter-pick
SACV volunteer climbing 1
SACV volunteer abseiling
Climbing and abseiling
SACV volunteer climbing 2
Posted in Residential weekends | Tagged Peak Park Conservation Volunteers |
Yesterday was a day of maintenance on the Middlewood Way, working with Ed from the Cheshire East Rangers. We enjoyed the stretch of the Way just off Schoolfold Lane in Adlington, where we removed encroaching grass from the surface of the path and replaced some of the damaged steps at the descent from the road. It was good to see the route getting plenty of use from walkers, cyclists and horse-riders – the weather must have helped!
Volunteers at work on widening the path 2
Volunteers at work on widening the path
Volunteers working on repairing the steps
Work on the steps in progress
Posted in Paths, Steps | Tagged Cheshire East Rangers, Middlewood Way |
Today we were working at Priory Gardens on behalf of the Red Rose Forest, to remove a patch of invasive rhododendrons from an edge of the site near Dane Road. On starting, it looked as though the area to clear might not be too great, but in fact the rhododendrons were pretty extensive and established, so by the end our piles of cut material were fairly high! Doubtless we’ll have missed some of the invaders and some will re-sprout, but we’ll have opened up this part of the woodland for some time.
Volunteer at work
Clearing the rhododendrons
A removed root
Panorama of work in progress
Piles of cut rhododendron
Posted in Invasive species, Woodland management | Tagged Priory Gardens, Red Rose Forest | 1 Comment »
The National Trust site of Hare Hill has an extensive Victorian culvert system which we have helped to maintain in the past. The culvert system feeds into a cattle trough, and a couple of years ago we lent a hand with its restoration (it had previously lain forgotten for several decades). It has silted up again since then, so today some of us joined forces with the Manchester National Trust Volunteers to clear out the mud and patch up some of the pond again. There was a good crowd of volunteers out so, meanwhile, others worked on removing invasive rhododendron from a wooded embankment nearby. A fine day in the spring sunshine!
Getting started on the cattle pond 1
Getting started on the cattle pond 2
Bucket and mud 1
Bucket and mud 2
Having cleared most of the cattle pond 1
Having cleared most of the cattle pond 2
Having cleared most of the cattle pond 3
Water running into the pond
The finishing touches
The finished cattle pond
Volunteers and the finished cattle pond
The cleared rhododendrons 1
The cleared rhododendrons 2
Posted in Culverts, Invasive species, Ponds and lakes | Tagged Hare Hill, National Trust |
Today several volunteers (and a labradoodle, who found lots of sticks) worked at New Moss Wood on behalf of the Woodland Trust. New Moss Wood is a native woodland, planted about sixteen years ago and part of the Red Rose Forest, and as the woodland develops ongoing work is needed to thin the trees and maintain some of the open spaces and paths. Those out today braved non-stop rain through the morning but were rewarded with clearing skies and spring sunshine by soon after lunch!
Posted in Woodland management | Tagged New Moss Wood, Woodland Trust |
February 23, 2015 by Julian
Well done to those hardy volunteers who were out yesterday at Chorlton Water Park, to continue last month’s task of the maintenance of willow groynes at the edge of the lake! These groynes are important in protecting the lake’s banks from erosion and providing a wildlife habitat. Despite the day getting gradually colder and wetter, with sleet for some of the time, a fair length of groyne was worked on. After a brief lunch break the weather had turned pretty atrocious so there was a sprint finish to tidy up, keep warm and complete the last section! A good effort by all.
The overgrown willow before work
Cutting the willow
Weaving cut willow in to form the new groynes
Clearing and sorting the cut willow
Weaving cut willow in to form the new groynes
Posted in Ponds and lakes, Willow structures | Tagged Chorlton Water Park, Mersey Valley |
February 8, 2015 by Julian
SACV volunteers were out today helping the Friends of the Fallowfield Loop with the planting of a new hedgerow. See here for what we got up to!
Posted in Hedgerow-planting | Tagged Friends of the Fallowfield Loop |
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