December Winter Worky Day

Fortunately, there was plenty of help on hand on Saturday to help clear away some of the damage left behind by last weekend's storm. The planned Hazel coppicing was put on hold!

At the start of the day many sections of the green trail were blocked with fallen trees. These had been cut up into manageable pieces by staff earlier in the week.

As the top of the woodland is inaccessable (even horse loggers would struggle to travel the steep half a mile in and out of here) the large pieces of timber were stacked into habitat piles.

Brash was burned on a controlled bonfire to reduce the risk of a huge forest fire in the future.

Much of this had to be processed into smaller pieces to help keep the fire 'footprint' as small as possible.

Hay rakes came in handy to scrape up the smaller pieces of debris.

By coffee time most of the work in this area was completed. To save time walking back to the centre instant hot drinks and biscuits were served from a wheelbarrow; a well earned break indeed.

Everyone worked really hard to make the woodland safe and tidy again.

With all that fresh air and exercise what better way to spend a Saturday morning! Much better than Christmas shopping!

A hearty lunch of chilli con carne was served up with a smile in the 'workshop cafe' whilst chainsaw blades were resharpened all under the same roof!

After lunch, the group split into smaller teams and while some carried on dealing with fallen trees, others helped our feathered friends in this cold snap by filling the bird feeders.

Our heartfelt thanks to all who gave up one of their precious weekend days to help out, it is as always hugely appreciated. If you would like to join in on the next Winter Worky Day, see the events page for details. Please note that advance booking is essential for catering purposes.