Mick and Sheila joined a regular workparty at Haymill Valley, run by the local wildlife trust. After the safety briefing we loaded up with tools and set off for the spot where we had finished last month. Our task was to continue clearing the brambles and other plants invading the path. Armed with hand-scythes and loppers we attacked the invaders, sometimes also using a hoe to continue Jen's mission to clear the grass from the paths. Luckily we were in the shade of the trees most of the time, but managed to stay hydrated with water and a tea-break with the traditional fruit cake

There was a good turn out today of GG, BBOWT and Friends of Haymill volunteers.

We set off to establish camp near the dam in the stream and then divided into a small group clearing branches and other debris from the stream, whilst the rest of us grabbed loppers, rakes, slashers, scythes and hoes to cut the overgrowth invading the path.

Seeing the path edge reappear was 'instantly gratifying'. There was even time for one volunteer to do a quick litter pick too.

Or rather it was a putting stakes in task as Sheila, Michael and Jen joined the Friends of Haymill and Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) to build protective cages around the coppiced Hazel stools from previous sessions. There were seven stools to be protected from deer and other wildlife. The first job was whittling pointed ends onto the branches being used as stakes, then we weaved bendier branches in horizontally as binders before finishing by threading thinner branches vertically to act as filler. Lopping, sawing, moving, bending and weaving branches were the order of the day so a great workout, in the sunshine to the sound of birdsong. A perfect start to a Sunday.

We were joined by GG first timer, Mick, today who soon got stuck in, choosing his tool of choice.

We headed back to the area we were working in last time to do more coppicing of the Hazel trees. Jen also chopped down some older trees to encourage regrowth.

After the tea break, the main group resumed coppicing and layering whilst the remainder work on 'processing' i.e taking the cut off branches and cutting them down either into 5ft stakes, or binding, or infill for the tree guards that will be erected next month. The tree guards will stop the deer eating the newly exposed bark. We needed to prepare this job for April as its one of the few jobs we can do in bird nesting season.

Samuel met the BBOWT and Friends of The Millie volunteers at the usual meeting point and helped carry the equipment to 'base camp'.

The groups split into 2 subgroups, one group led by Karen went to coppice some trees further down the path, whilst Bob's group stayed on the reedbed to uproot the nettles and widen the water channels.

Jen was on a go slow this morning due to having pulled a muscle in her back and was also therefore on light duties. She arrived at the reserve, with her litter picker, about half an hour later and found the reedbed group. Some new tools caught her eye, that were apparently called Lazy Dogs to help with the uprooting.

Jen collected a couple of black bags and headed off to litter pick along the path, turning left first.

After tea break the two groups swapped over and Jen headed right along the path to continue litter picking. By the end of the session, several trees were coppiced, the channels were wider, nettles uprooted and 3 bags of rubbish collected.

All in all a good days work for a bunch of lazy dogs.

We welcomed Adam for his first good deed for GG and were joined by Sheila and Tessa from our neighbours at GG Windsor and Maidenhead (keen to tick another square off their bingo card 🤣).

The GG volunteers joined up with the BBOWT and Friends of The Millie volunteers and then split into two groups. Adam, Tessa and Sheila were in the reedbed group and Jen, showing off her new 500 t-shirt joined the coppicing group. The first job for the coppicing group was to break up and remove a fallen tree blocking the path.

The coppicing group then went round to a copse of Hazel trees and made a start coppicing them to encourage new growth.

Meanwhile the reedbed group were cutting back the vegetation and redigging some of the water channels made on previous visits.

After tea break the two groups swapped over so that everyone had chance to coppice. A couple of volunteers broke away from the main groups to litter pick too, so a variety of jobs undertaken with good progress made. We came, we sawed (& lopped), we coppiced.