A couple of years ago we got a 'Licence to Cultivate' from Herefordshire Council giving us permission to do conservation work on the Town Trail. In 2022 we were very pleased to be given a grant by the Severn Trent Community Fund to work on the ditch running alongside the Trail between Bridge Street and Woodleigh Road.
We started work in October 2022. Now, over 200 volunteer hours later, we have completed the project.
The ditch was in a sorry state, overgrown, filled with debris, and liberally sprinkled with litter. The grant covered the cost of hand tools, plants and an information board.
Over the winter, volunteers worked to dig out the ditch, remove litter, and clear a strip of land along the bank, ready for planting.
In April, we planted 250 native wetland plants along this stretch.
The information board was designed and made during the early summer and we took delivery at the end of July. Balfour Beatty installed this for us - a professional job as there are gas pipes in the area.
On 4th September 2023 we had a small celebration to mark the end of the project and say thank you to our volunteers and supporters.
We've had very positive feedback from residents, both when we're working and via Facebook. The wildlife seems to like it too. We saw frogs 'inspecting' the ditch in the spring, and have noticed more birds and butterflies, now the area is getting more light.
The plan is to continue to maintain this area and hopefully cover a longer stretch of the Trail. We try to get out on the Trail once a fortnight on a Monday morning and new volunteers are always welcome.
(See the dates for the next sessions in the sidebar on the right.)
No comments:
Post a Comment