Ock Valley Walk, Town End, 18th February 2017

By Andrew -
This week we were at the town end of the Ock Valley Walk.  Sixteen-strong and led by Sally, our tasks were many and varied!

 Having convened by the St Helen's footbridge over the weir, we took a stroll with tools and tea-kit to our usual encampment spot - halfway along the woodchip path.  Sally then issued instructions to the faithful, which this week included both Lauren's mother, Sue, and Jessica's mother, Jill.  Bring your mum to Green Gym day?!

 The most significant job was to litter-pick along the stretch of the walk from the footbridge, all the way along to the Drayton Road end.  Otherwise, there was the usual bramble-bashing, the cutting back of stray willow branches and the clearance of vegetation away from the bases of trees that we have planted here in previous years.  A check was conducted on the health of these trees, and any that had not survived since our last visit (very few thankfully!), were removed, along with corresponding tree guards and stakes.

 Eleanor had also brought along some wild flowers to sow close to (former Green Gym leader) Chris Thomas's memorial tree - a black poplar which we had planted here some five years ago and which has since grown to an impressive height.

 The litter-pick was as bountiful as usual with a bicycle, a road cone and a witches' broom among the more unusual items recovered amidst the standard cans, bottles and food wrappers.  A startled muntjac deer was encountered at one point while a dead fox was spotted lying peacefully beside the main path.

 Another of Eleanor's amazing cake's appeared at tea-break which required us to work extra-hard in the second half of the morning in order to burn off the calories consumed.  This presented no problem of course and there was still plenty to be done.  

 Tackling the seemingly never-ending supply of litter close to the Drayton Road bridge was a priority, and we made a big impact here, although some areas will need further attention on our next visit.  Many bags of recyclable and non-recyclable waste were however taken to the assigned collection point by the pedestrian crossing on the Drayton Road - for the council contractors to pick up on Monday.

 A good morning's work by both our regular members and our visitors!
-Andrew



Preparing to get started.



Graham and Adrian tackle some stray willow branches.

Barry clears vegetation from around one of the young tree bases.

Some raked vegetation.

Jill and Jessica mid bramble-clearance!

Back to base for refreshments.

Sally and her witches' broom!

Signs of spring are apparent!

The results of the litter-pick at the collection point.

A bicycle found in the undergrowth.

Ladybird!

James and Sue.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pinkhill Meadow Nature Reserve, Farmoor Reservoir, 16th March 2019

By Andrew -
Image
Another week, another new site for the Abingdon Green Gym! We met at the car park at Farmoor Reservoir, a healthy turn out of 17 of us, including French father Sebastien, and his eleven-year old son, Maelo, who was joining us for a school project. The session was led by James under the instruction of Hanna Jenkins, the warden of Pinkhill Meadow Nature Reserve, so called because it is right on the banks of the River Thames, just near Pinkhill Lock. It was another blustery day. Will this crazy wind ever let up? We followed Hanna in convoy round the edge of the reservoir, which was choppy to say the least, and parked up on the other side where it was thankfully a little calmer, the high banks of the reservoir providing some shelter. Equipped with our tools, gloves and goggles, we made our way onto the spot on the nature reserve where we were to do our work. Hanna told us that the reserve had been formed in 1991, but some aspects had been neglected over the last ten years. The aim...
Read more

Kennington Memorial Field, 29th October 2016

By Andrew -
We have been working at Kennington Memorial Field for a number of years now, clearing scrub from the slopes so that the valley remains an area of grassland and wild flowers. This time Rachel from Oxford Preservation Trust was in charge and led us down to the lower end of the field, where we were to cut back the trees and bushes by several metres and burn the scrub on a bonfire. We were joined by some families with children of varying ages, the youngest only three, who had answered a local appeal for volunteers. We set to work and soon we had a bonfire going. Even the children who were too young to use loppers and saws joined in, carrying branches to the bonfire pile. Despite the drizzly weather they all worked cheerfully. At tea break time we enjoyed some delicious snacks that Rachel had brought and a tin of chocolates supplied by Michele. We found two old birds' nests in the course of the morning and cutting back the scrub revealed a log pile with a rabbit hole under...
Read more

Jarn Mound and Wild Garden, Boars Hill, 12th November 2016

By Andrew -
Image
Four weeks after our last session with the Oxford Preservation Trust at Boars Hill, we returned, albeit at Jarn Mound this time rather than the Elizabeth Daryush Garden; which had been our venue in October. We again met with  Rachel Sanderson of the trust, who along with our leader of the day, James, outlined the tasks for the morning.  Primarily, we were to clear the mound itself of scrub and tree saplings that had taken root there, with the intention of restoring it to its original state.  There were also some flatter areas of the garden that required clearing, for the less intrepid among us. Unfortunately, the day had begun a little on the inclement side.  Indeed as we arrived, the rain fell persisently, making many of us wonder if the session would go ahead at all!  But of course, the Green Gymmers are renowned for working whatever the weather, and the damp conditions did not deter us. A couple of problems were immediately evident due to the rain...
Read more