Task Reports

Today we were continuing with the hedge laying. A lot of litter was cleared and the volunteers carried out preparation work making safe working areas for people to start laying pleachers, and lopping and sawing unsuitable branches with great gusto. 

Local people walking by, smiled and thanked the party, as they thought that the public path the hedge was running parallel to, much improved. The staff at the centre commented in a positive manner too.

Lots of pleachers were laid. Apart from some drizzly rain threatening to spoil things in the latter part of the day, everyone seemed to gain a great sense of enjoyment and achievement from all the efforts of the team. 

Despite the stirling efforts of the group the task is not finished and we are returning there on Friday 28th to finish off. We will re-schedule the trip to rodley in the New Year. 

A very wet day, but 9 volunteers successfully completed the cutting of the meadow and clearance of vegetation from the pond. 

We used both the autoscythe and hand scythes to cut the vegetation, once a few seed heads had been collected to sow elsewhere. The grass was raked off the meadow. This management is undertaken to prevent the build-up of fertility in the soil, which would occur if the plants were to compost in-situ.   Grass will become dominant in a fertile soil to the disadvantage of the wildflowers.

Vegetation from the pond is removed to keep some open water for pond-dipping and for the aquatic invertebrates. 

Tucked away at the very back of Bradford University Halls, and in the shadow of former Park Avenue Football ground, is BEES UNR- a kind of secret wild garden!  The yearly task here, was to remove/reduce over-grown aquatic plants from the pond and make space for pond lilies and, to remove all litter from the site.  

In order to clean the pond, waders deployed (thigh-high wellies, which were quite fetching!).  One felt as though one were on a cat-walk in them!  Quite a lot of unwanted plants were removed from the pond, leaving much needed space for aquatic species that need some open water to thrive.

There was quite a lot of litter remove from the site.  There was everything but the kitchen sink!  From useable children’s toys, drink cans to a vintage commode! 

In addition to pond cleaning and litter picking, we also cut over-grown grass from the site, using scythe, sickles and shears.  We also pruned branches which were blocking footpaths, under the watchful gaze of Amanda, our plant specialist! 

The main task today was to cut the top areas of wildflower meadow, in order that the flowers continue to thrive amongst the grass.  We used the auto scythe to cut the grass and then raked off the arisings to reduce the build-up fertility in the soil. 

There was also a substantial amount of litter to collect including four mattresses, a divan base,  a tent, sheets  and blankets. Thanks to the Clean Team for collecting these items and the numerous bags of litter.

In addition we cleared cut back some over grown hedging and mended the gate on Westcroft Road. 

Our favourite mucky task of the autumn pond management season! The aim of the task is to clear some of the build-up of shale and leaf litter that has fallen or been washed into the pond so that there are some areas of open water during the summer months. It would be ecologically disruptive, and too large a task, to drain the pond and clear out all the sludge, but we were able to dig out a fair amount in one day. It is always a challenge to decide what to do with the removed material – we do not want it to wash straight back in, nor affect surrounding vegetation. We chose to create several piles near by, and within a week we hope the falling leaves will enable them to blend in with the surroundings. 

Today 10 BEES and Friends of Northcliffe volunteers were joined by 30 volunteers from ASDA. This enhanced workforce enabled us to tackle the pathways as well. Leaf mould was raked off to help reduce the wet and muddy patches that can cause a problem on the paths in wet weather.  

A lovely autumn day and lots achieved. More pictures here.

Volunteering roles from 9am to 5.30pm

Our annual celebration event will be slightly different than previous years but still a lot of volunteer roles. Juicing, apple sales, kitchen help as well as help with setting up the marquees and packing up at the end of the day.

We will pick up from Culture Fusion at (time to follow).
Make your own way to the orchard if you plan to come along later.

Today we were focusing on ensuring the site was ready for Apple Day. We finished weeding the seating areas and path and topped up some areas with new bark chip. We had bought a full load but this turned out to be only a fraction of what was needed.

We also paid attention to areas of nettles and other unwanted plants, as well as a bit of weeding in the vegetable beds. We harvested apples and did as much preparation for Sunday as possible in advance.

10 volunteers

A small group of six volunteers undertook the autumn tasks of clearing the pond and clearing the pathways. 

Once a year we pull The Reed Sweetgrass from the pond in order to maintain open water. Today we also cleared brambles and balsam from the water inflow – the Boar’s Well. 

The path team worked at Coleman Street end uncovering old steps that had been neglected for years and were covered in bramble. This task was not completed and we plan to carry on with this in the winter.  

We sowed some yellow rattle seed on the meadow, removing some of the dominant hogweed at the same time. There were plenty of long tailed tits to keep us company.There were plenty of long tailed tits to keep us company.