Making More Hay

An area between the hay meadow and the newly created Spigot Mere was a beautiful patch of wildflowers this summer. It was decided to cut it in an effort to encourage even more flowers to flourish there next year. The plan was to bring a quad bike and flail to speed up the process however, the ground was too wet after the recent rain and this was no longer an option as it would cause too much damage to the soft ground and there would be a risk of getting stuck! An enthusiastic team of volunteers decided to tackle the problem with strimmers!

Here is the before photo:

With four strimmers on the go, the job was achievable.

Using old fashioned hay rakes, the cuttings were dragged into neat lines and piles.

The 'after' photo shows the impressive end result, not bad at all for a days work! This would not have been possible without the hard work of the regular Foxglove volunteers.

After lunch, Carla, an intern from Teesside University, shared some of the findings of her research project with staff and volunteers in a powerpoint presentation. Later on in the day she revealed a hidden talent when she presented Bob with a handmade sign. There have been a lot of jokes lately as he has spent some time sorting out one of the Foxglove cabins which closely resembles an icecream van!

Thank you to everyone for giving their time and using their many skills so generously, it is all appreciated!