April Volunteer Event – Saving Our Banks!

getting-started-april

Picture: Explaining What To Do

Even though it was Easter Sunday, there was a very good turnout! The aim of April’s task was to repair the stream banks (on both sides) near the Gelvert Bridge (see map on About page above). These have become badly eroded by the floods of last season and temporary repairs were needed. When the rangers have enough funds, the overflow problem will be handled by raising the bridge (other solutions are also being considered).

Poles were driven in to the sides to allow insertion of a sleeper on one side and old logs on the other. The sleeper was extremely heavy as it was waterlogged – so plenty of hard work was required (see photo below). The infill material was taken from Sandy Bay using a tractor and supplemented by overflow sand from the side of the bank itself.

getting-stuck-in-april

Picture: Getting Stuck In With A Sleeper

This task was a project under the CSV Action Earth initiative (Title: ‘Save Our Banks’). Action Earth provides grants of up to £50 (funded by Morrisons) to assist groups in England, Scotland and Wales in carrying out environmental projects. Information on a previous Action Earth task carried out by Fleet Pond Society is here.

group-photo-april1

Picture: Group Picture (CSV Action Earth).

final-results-april

Picture: The Final Results – A Good Job Done!

I appreciate that getting out of bed on a Sunday morning to do conservation work may not be to everyone’s taste but, take my word for it, working in an easy-going team and making a real difference can be very satisfying and we’re always keen on new volunteers! Contact details on About page.

Leave a Reply