For the first volunteer day of 2023 we revisited the dead-hedge that we put in to protect some of our wildlife and gave it a bit of an upgrade.
Sadly, the original had suffered from being battered by stray footballs from the pitch next to it, and from unwanted human attention.
The new one, we hope, is a bit sturdier. Aside from the heavier posts and beams that are part of it we’ve also planted some willow cuttings taken from one of our trees. The hope is that these will take root and become a living part of the hedge that we can train to provide an even sturdier natural barrier. Not exactly a Whomping Willow but enough to fend off poor shots on goal!
We can’t help with football skills, but hopefully the new fence will withstand the off-target balls.
The day before we set out we heard that a tree that had fallen and blocked the path that leads into the woods from the Cricklade field. Andy was very happy to get the chance to try out his new electric chainsaw. We also took out the top trunk of the big fallen willow across the brook, which had started to rot and might have posed a safety hazard if it came down while anyone was playing on it.