Leader Richard
Task
The task was coppicing work in the woods on Crickley Hill, next
to the Iron Age hill fort. Wood for hedging stakes and hetherings
were retained for re-use.
On the Day
It turned out to be a beautiful winter’s day after seemingly
weeks of unsettled and often wet and stormy weather. This was
a blessed relief for all. The sun shone most of the day and there
was only a light breeze so it felt pleasantly warm despite the
air temperature.
In all 30 members turned out including a fair number of relatively
new members which was very encouraging.
After the formalities of the Health And Safety talk and introductions,
Martin Jones, the warden, detailed the task and we spent the morning
coppicing and a small party replaced a broken strainer on a fence.
As is traditional for the last task before Christmas, lunch was
baked potatoes from the fire with cheese and dips and followed
up be mince pies and other pastries and cakes. Everyone ate their
fill and we had a good relaxed time chatting in the sunshine or
around the fire.
In the afternoon it was clear that we had to stop cutting wood
and concentrate on clearing up what had been cut in the morning.
Piles of hetherings and stakes were made and most of the remainder
was burnt before we have to cease feeding the fires so that they
died down. The large piles of embers were roped off by Martin
before we left the scene.
Overall, it was a productive and enjoyable day. A substantial
amount of coppicing was completed and as a bonus the festive element
and weather added to the pleasure of the task.
Volunteers
30 volunteers turned out on the day. 2 left after lunch and one
turned up on spec after the morning break. Due to the quantity
of wood cut and the capacity of the fires to deal with it, Martin
asked us to stop by about 2:45pm.