Working Parties

January 2025

December 2024

November and December 2021 working parties

18 January

On Saturday 18th January we had our first working party of 2025 and worked exclusively in the bottom meadow (closest to the railway). The hard work from the dozen or so volunteers was focused in three areas:

- clearing encroaching vegetation from the path alongside the fence to the gate to Bishop’s Knoll;

- cutting back reeds and clearing brambles and invasive saplings from the reedbed alongside the railway line;

- clearing the branches of the recently-fallen 200-year-old beech tree from the edge of the meadow.

The beech tree has also taken down an ash tree and the old iron fence and we hope the City Council will be able to help remove the remainder from the edge of the meadow. Thanks to all the hard-working volunteers for their efforts on Saturday.

If you’d like to join us at subsequent working parties in 2025 please see the forthcoming dates on the back of this newsletter. You would be most welcome.

14 December

With red weather warnings confirmed we postponed the working party scheduled for the 7th, and kept our fingers crossed – Bingo! The 14th dawned like a September day (which was when we would have raked the mowings of the top triangular meadow, if BCC had cut it in time). The main difference being that 2½ months of mixed weather and the annual leaf drop from the trees made the mass much heavier to deal with. However, nothing daunted our team and they set to work and managed to clear the job in the two-hour session, with a coffee/tea break as usual.

The arisings were dragged and dumped into the scrub at the edge of the wood, to save BCC the cost of transporting them off site. Thank you to all of you who attended.

In November volunteers continued to clear the banks of the lake with Ian tested out his new arrangement for crossing onto the island.

Oliver and Alexander, who are working towards their Duke of Edinburgh awards, joined the group on the island, cutting back the bramble. We enjoyed a relaxing coffee break overseen by Bert.

In December wooden rakes provided by Parks (Sea Mills Depot), were used to rake the remaining cut brambles from the cleared areas in both fields. The boundary was also increased by cutting scallops into the brambles.

The coffee break became a party once again, with chocolate cake, brought by Marion, mince pies and biscuits provided by the Friends.

In addition to the working parties….

1. Lucy, James and Carole erected a notice directing people away from the reed bed to an alternative path to the woodland steps.

2. James spent considerable time spreading stone on the path through both fields. The stone was kindly donated by Chris from Bristol and Avon Transport.

3. Laura led a small party planting 50 whips and 5 trees, all paid for by a kind donation from Mrs Cook to celebrate her 100th birthday.