Our task today was to rake cut grass from a slope near the park entrance. We raked into rows that could be easily collected using a wheelbarrow and then removed from the site.

By doung this we could prevent the hay from rotting down and nourishing the remaining grass underneath. We could then expose and break up patches of earth with the rakes that will allow wildflower seeds to take hold and increase the ecological diversity of the site.

The weather was perfect and the five of us had a good chance to catch up as we joined the rest of the regular working party for our task

We had a lovely sunny day for our Saturday task at Manor Woods Valley. 5 Goodgymers attended the task including a brand new member so welcome! Unfortunately when we arrived we got the sad news that the apple harvest is too small for apple day this year so there will be no apple juice being made. It’s still helpful to clear the area around the trees though so that’s what we did. We managed to get a decent amount cleared and the trees looked much happier. After the task another volunteer gave everyone apple brandy samples to take home which was so nice of them! We checked to see if the tree we planted which was saved from weeding at the Berry Maze was still there and it was!

A group of us attended Manor Woods Valley group’s regular volunteering session to clear scrub from a wildflower meadow. It was lovely to see some cowslips and native daffodils already blooming on what they call the ‘Rabbit Field’. We had a first time Goodgymer today so well done to Nell for your first task! We cleared a massive site which was satisfying to see the progress made. Don’t worry there’s still plenty of scrub left for nesting birds. After the task was finished we were treated to some Manor Woods Valley apple juice made from the apples we helped harvest last year.

Six of us had fun today trying our hands at coppicing in Manor Valley Woods.

Working in pairs we cut the Hazel stools down pretty much to ground level ensuring that the cuts were at an angle that allowed water to drain away from the centre and avoid it rotting.

While Dave and Danica, and Jason and Emma worked hard sawing away at the branches, Julie and Paul carried them away to be used as a natural bit of Hazel fencing.

There were some mixed feelings about this, it certainly felt pretty drastic but we learned that this encourages longer term growth and can extend the life of the tree from around 80 years to 1000! In fact our eager beavers today were performing a role traditionally performed by actual beavers who surely know what they are doing!

The coppicing also has the benefit of allowing more light into the space which can encourage other surrounding growth. So all good - even if it felt bad.

Thanks to Danica for the pun.

Two of us made it to Manor Woods Valley nature reserve on what turned out to be a nice day (nice for December at least). We made great progress in managing the Manor Woods Orchard for wildlife as well as getting it ready for the wassail on 14 January. No insects were harmed in our clearing process as a ladybug was moved to the scrub on the side of the orchard. We finished with some non-alcoholic cider made from the apples we picked back on the harvest days in the fall. We can’t wait to come back for the Wassail!

Apple Day at Manor Woods saw 8 of us join the local community in harvesting the fruit to send for juicing.

The juice will be split with most going to a local food bank and the remainder served at future volunteer sessions.

Techniques ranged from gathering up fallen apples, pulling down branches to twist off the fruit, shaking them .. and a good deal of bashing with big sticks!

Once we were finished we were treated to apple juice, dried apple snacks and some delicious apple cake. All in all a great morning in the orchard with 300 kilos of apples gathered in total.