Task Reports

This is a site that we last worked at in 2010. It is in need of a litter pick and general tidy up, so that the community can make better use of it in the future and benefit the flora and fauna. Our task was to make the site look more welcoming to the residents around. First we collected litter and fly tipping, we found a fridge, carpets, Wendy house and lots of litter. We then spent time clearing the pathways and mowing the edges so that people can walk around more easily.  Some trees that had been damaged were pruned to give them a better chance in the future.

Similar to other sites we manage it would benefit from some regular maintenance, it is an important site for wildlife and there was plenty of birdsong to be heard with several butterflies. By the end of the day the site the site looked improved and the team said they enjoyed themselves.

Today we were a group of 10.

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Today we prepared ground using rakes and forks and then sowed grass seeds along the edge of the tarmac path.

Today we were a group 7.

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We had a lovely day at the orchard today.

Everyone worked hard to tackle several essential tasks - grass cutting and general weeding, clearing around the trees and applying some food (seaweed meal, fine charcoal and compost), clearing the area near the new gazebo, and weeding and planting vegetable seeds.

This year the vegetable beds are an extension of our Ration Garden. The seeds we planted were donated by the Heritage Seed Library and the potatoes are varieities that were being grown over 100 years ago. Read more about our WW1 Ration Garden here.

The forcast had been for a chilly day but we were actually blessed with warm sunshine (and the need for suncream!). And another bonus was the amount of blossom! The orchard looked lovely.

There is still quite a lot of work to do to finish the spring tasks. We are next at the orchard on 6th June.

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Today we prepared ground using rakes and forks and then sowed grass seeds along the edge of the tarmac path.

Today we were a group 7.

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Click here to view the BEES Flickr account

 Our task today was to cut and rake off the meadow areas to benefit the grassland flowering plants.  First though we carried out some litter collecting. This involved retrieving tyres and a shopping trolley from the pond plus other large bits of rubbish scattered around the site.  We then set about main task, once the autoscythe got started. The grass areas were cut leaving the flowers that were making an appearance. We saw plenty of Meadowsweet, Celendine, Vetch, Cranesbill and a single Cowslip. This is all encouraging for a good show of colour during the summer with plenty of nectar for insects. 

We were again supported by the Clean Team who collected the litter. The Council Wardens also made a visit, so we were able to discuss the suitability of a dog fouling bin for the site.

Today we were a group of 9.

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Today we prepared ground using rakes and forks and then sowed wildflower seeds at two of the entrances to the site.

Today we were a group 4.

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Today we worked on the surface of the seating area. We added a finer grade of crush and run and then used the vibrating plate to compact it. At the end we were satisfied with the result. We also landscaped around the standard trees we had planted. This involved levelling the soil around the base, adding ground cover and then using woodchip. It looks good and will protect the trees from the grass mowers in the future.

Today we were a group of 7.

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This week we made another journey to Harrogate to plant trees at the Birks Crag site. There were several areas that we concentrated on today. The first we planted an Oak copse where to the length and colour of the grass it was hard to spot the marking canes. Then we moved to the bottom of the field we worked on last week, this planted with Oak, Aspen and Alder, which were staked and guarded. Also another group worked in an adjacent field to plant areas that needed trees.

The group worked hard again and by the time we had to leave there were still some trees to planted, but that will be for another day.

Today we were a group of 11. 

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 We travelled to Harrogate again today to carry out further tree planting at the Birks Crag site. We concentrated on one large field at the far end of the property. Again we planted native varieties like Oak, Birch, Hazel and Rowan. Lots of tree were planted, which then had to be staked and guarded. The group again worked hard to complete the task.  Looking back at our work we had completely changed the landscape from the beginning of the day and it surprised us all.  

Today we were a group of 14.