Six of us left Painswick car park and walked through the village, taking in the 99 yews in the churchyard and cotswold stone buildings, through farmland up to Bulls Cross where the group have previously carried out tasks (Natural England site). Stopped and sat on a new bench for a short sip of tea before heading into Frith Wood that the late John Workman gave to the Wildlife Trust. This is and ancient woodland site with planted beech (originally for timber), ventured to Pans Lodge or the site of it but not very good views of Painswick as it suggested on notice board. Left the wood onto a permissive track down into Juniper Hill reserve where we have put up some fencing to help protect Juniper plants. By this time the mist had cleared so good place for lunch and enjoy the views.

Followed path down towards Painswick passing an avenue of pollarded Beech and some Hornbeam. Back to car park via Stamages Lane. All together an enjoyable walk.

On Sunday 22^nd Janurary 2023, GVCV braved the cold weather to help maintain the wildlife pocket park and community orchard at Churchdown. The group cleared bramble from the orchard, widened the paths in the woodland area and gave the willow weave tunnel some much needed TLC.

Weaving in the loose willow and giving the tunnel a much needed haircut.

The tunnel of Love. Weaving in willow above head height with frozen fingers was indeed a labour of love,

Despite the cold start the group enjoyed their visit and showed that GVCV are not a ‘fair weather’ group.

A cold but happy team at the end of the day. Just look at those ice crystals in the sky.

08/01/2023 Hempsted Infill Site tree planting

Landfill site operator Enovert own the 350 acre landfill site at Hempsted, which they closed in July 2019 and capped off with topsoil.. Their plans for the restoration of the area consist of turning it into an Energy Park including a solar panel farm, and with the potential for wind and biomass power generation in the future – an Ecopark. The site extends from Llanthony road to the River Severn.

Part of the site remains in use as a Household recycling area, operated by Ubico, and around 14,000 tonnes of garden waste from here is processed annually on an adjacent composting area for re-use or sale. A planning application has been made for the Solar Farm element which may eventually deliver 15MW of Green energy. Gloucester City Council are backing the whole scheme as it would make a significant contribution towards Gloucester City Council plan to make the whole area carbon neutral by 2050 and will bring new jobs and investment to the area.

The site prior to July 2019 Image source, Getty Images

Planting has already commenced to create a new woodland area of around 250 acres, Hempsted Woods, which will eventually total more than 100,000 trees to provide a new natural amenity for local people, as well as fuel for biomass coppicing and providing opportunities for businesses to offset their carbon though planting trees

As a part of this in January 2022, GVCV planted some 300 sapling trees. Unfortunately we then had a record breaking heatwave in the summer and a number of the tree died, basically of thirst, notwithstanding that each tree had been mulched around in an attempt to protect them.

GVCV task on 08 January 2023 was to replace the trees which had died, to tidy up the trees and supports which had been displaced by the strong winds in this area and to add further trees to extend the planted area all under the hands-on guidance of the GWT warden.

The site as it is today – dramatically different from the pre 2019 picture.

As can be seen from the picture the volunteers needed to be well wrapped up, the absolute temperature was not too low but the strong wind swept across the whole site throughout the day But give it 10 or 20 years and we will have produced an effective wind break.

The intention was for random planting, to imitate nature, but there was a degree of selection locating high canopy trees such as Oak and Hornbeam, interspersed with lower height Field Maple and Cherry and with moisture loving Hazel on the slope down to the stream. Each tree was given a supporting cane and a protective sleeve to deter rabbits, deer etc. Unfortunately there was no compost available to mulch the roots,

A newly planted whip, duly supported and protected and with the grass cleared away from the base.

Lunch al fresco

We are programmed to return to this site in April and, if we are to produce a forest, on many other dates.

For the 2^nd time and the final task of the year, we visited one of our favourite sites that we have worked on for many years – Hempsted. It was very well attended with the best turn out of the year with 13 of us including 3 new volunteers.

Hempsted is maintained as a nature reserve as its original function as final water treatment settling lakes is now redundant leaving a wildlife haven with an abundance of wildlife attracted to the man- made lakes there.

Much of our work has involved maintaining the edges of the lakes freeing them up from decaying old trees, which have grown out into the water, becoming rotten and mouldy. This stimulates more diverse plant growth and improves the visual appeal of the lakes and this was our main focus again this task. To see the abundance of new growth come through over the years is very satisfying.

We continued with this task focusing on the next section along the bank with some particularly dense thickets of trees, requiring some sawing through of established tree trunks and branches growing out into the water… most if it covered in moss and algae, careful to negotiate the smelly waters edge which could quickly rise above the welly line!

Several volunteers attended to some path clearance and one member saw to some maintenance of the on site shed which was leaking from the roof and I and the warden cleared much brush and vegetation from around a small row boat which has not seen daylight for quite a few years! The boat used to be used years ago apparently by someone who used to conduct bird surveys

We are hoping to get the boat back in action to row around the lake for volunteers who would like to venture out on the water!

Driving a passage through to the lake

The kettles were fired up for a hot drinks and mince pie break which I combined with lunch at 12 p.m as our day wrapped up at 1.45 – a shorter day than usual but because of the cold and good progress due to the numbers we had out, it made sense.. Tools also have to be returned to the stores in the light so our days in Winter are a little shorter.

Our energetic volunteers carved through the undergrowth like a cyclone

Another successful and enjoyable task, meeting up with friends to conclude our activities for 2022

Churchdown Park Task Report

20 Nov 22

Eight volunteers came to the wildlife area near Churchdown Parish Council Offices to help maintain the site, following the management plan which was prepared for the site by Candy. We were welcomed by Ann and Stuart who oversee the popular site for the Parish. The main task was to clear reeds and vegetation from two of the wildlife ponds, to prevent bulrushes from dominating and to provide a diverse habitat.

Trina, Lorraine and Chris getting stuck into the first pond:

Pond two:

Part-way done, Chris and Candy clearing by pulling reeds and cutting tougher ones with shears:

Nearly there:

One clear pond:

Meanwhile, Dave and Rob cleared brambles around the orchard to prevent the fruit trees from becoming smothered:

Once the ponds were done (and feet warmed up) we all spent a little while tidying up the willow-weave tunnel (Trina and Rob here):

Candy and Anthony also re-staked a tree and removed plastic guards from a hedgeline that is now becoming established.

It was a productive day and we have agreed to look at returning in January to do more willow-weaving, clear the next pond, and move (hopefully) dried reeds into a corner of the site where they can compost down.

Dave B

2022.08.11 Nosehill farm – clearance of the Bowl Barrow

Everyone has heard of prehistoric long barrows and round barrows. Bowl barrows are much less conspicuous; they are shaped like inverted saucers. The bowl barrow on a farm in the east of Gloucestershire is one such. Our task was to clear the vegetation growing on and around the edge of the barrow so as to reveal its form and preserve its character.

Four volunteers did an amazing job of clearance using saws, loppers, rakes and a brush cutter. The accompanying ‘Before’ and ‘After’ photos show what a difference we made. We plan to go back in November to finish the task.

“Before” photo

“ After” photo

Dave E

GVCV October 2022 Tidenham Chase Residential –

Heathland restoration work at its best.

On the 9^th / 10^th October 2022, GVCV spent a weekend at Tidenham Chase.

Located just outside Chepstow and a stone’s throw from Offa’s Dyke, Tidenham Chase contains the largest remaining fragment of lowland heathland in Gloucestershire. Gloucester Wildlife Trust, in partnership with Forestry England, manage the site’s heathland restoration project.

The heathland is an important habitat for small birds and some of the UK’s rarest reptiles, including adders. Tidenham is also well known for the wide range of mushrooms found onsite including the distinctive Fly Agaric. The heathland is maintained through conversation grazing and tree clearance.

Over two days a group of 12 from GVCV cleared tree saplings from an area targeted for restoration. As well as being important to habitat management, tree clearance results in large bonfires which were thoroughly enjoyed by the group and bought out the competitive nature in some individuals.

After several hours of enjoyable work in the October sunshine the group also invented a new term ‘doing a Dave’ or ‘dave-ing’ to describe trees that wouldn’t be easily felled.

Staying locally the group enjoyed some social time together in the evenings and got to try out the local Gurkha restaurant – the Woolaston Inn.

Fly Agaric in Tidenham Chase

The group hard at work

Heading back after day 1

Tree mid ‘Dave-ing’

Roger showing how its done 😊

GVCV showed that you can mix work and play at Hay Day on Saturday 3^rd September 2022.

In the morning the group helped clear previously cut grass, racking back a limestone meadow to help maintain the low nutrient levels needed to sustain this scares type of habitat. Limestone meadow is a threatened habitat – 50% of the remaining limestone meadow habitat is found within the Cotswolds. Read more here: Wildflower Grassland – Cotswolds National Landscape (cotswoldsaonb.org.uk)

On many tasks we simply dump the cut grass but in this instance the cut grass, crammed full of wild flower seeds, was taken away to an adjacent field to be scattered to hopefully change a plain grass field into another wildflower meadow.

In the spring and summer, the meadow supports six species of orchid (so far), a broad range of butterflies and bats.

Trimming back over hanging tree canopy to increase light around the meadow edges and also the encroaching brambles help maintain this nationally scarce habitat.

Conservation grazing is also used onsite over the winter with the help of a local farmer.

The afternoon was spent enjoying a well earned BBQ next to the meadow so we could enjoying seeing the result of our mornings efforts.

The cows which were let onto the meadow the following morning also seemed pleased with result.

22.08.20 Phil Hermes memorial walk.

Phil Hermes was a volunteer with GVCV from 1989 till 2018 when he died at the early age of 60 after contracting skin cancer and then having a heart attack.

Phil was particularly keen on tasks which required skill, such as dry stone walling and hedge laying.

Phil sharing his encyclopedic knowledge of hedge laying with the “young uns”

He liked to holiday in Greece each summer, carrying out footpath clearance work at Mount Athos.

Phil, from a 1995 GVCV newsletter

In his spare time Phil also liked bird watching on Cleeve Hill, so it is appropriate that his ashes are scattered there and that there is a plaque to his memory around the ‘lone tree’ on top of the hill.

Each year in August, to commemorate Phil’s life we organise a walk up Cleeve Hill to the place where his ashes are scattered. Some friends, family, and ex-work colleagues from European School Books join us conservation volunteers to remember Phil. Afterwards we adjourn to the local pub the Rising Sun for a convivial drink and lunch. This year 2022 it was on Saturday August 20^th.

David G Evans.

GVCV social at the DEYA Brewery Tap

On Thursday 11^th August 2022, GVCV enjoyed an evening out at the new (ish) DEYA brewery tap, conveniently located a short walk from Cheltenham Spa train station.

The group enjoyed a sunny summer evening of interesting beers, Thai food and good company.

Candy