VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME
AUTUMN 2022
NEWS
1. New planting site at White Lund Farm.
2. Our range of wildflower plots from Thurnham to Bare Lane Station, Hazelwood Farm to Mossgate, have all done well. It has been a very good growing season with enough rain to keep everything healthy and plenty of sun to create a mass of wildflowers.
3. Bare Lane Station – Good to have the Great Wood reception class growing and planting beans and peas again in their dedicated platform planter. Passengers have been able to pick the produce with the extra addition of apples from our mini orchard at the station.
4. Torrisholme Barrow – The heritage Trig. Point is now looking more like its old self, having been painted white. The individually guarded trees have all taken well and we are managing to arrange planting 2 more this winter. This will be all for the foreseeable future unless we lose mature trees from ash dieback and need to replace them.
5. OVO Energy and the Trust for Conservation Volunteers are again offering us free trees and shrubs for planting out in the 2022-23 season. We are delighted to take up the offer.
TASKS
2nd October - Torrisholme Barrow We have been asked for another sponsored tree. It would be useful to do the woodwork before the planting season and we have also gained permission from the farmer to create a level platform in front of the seat. In addition one of our existing tree cages can be removed from a rather magnificent oak. It has done its job after over 30 years!
16th October - Mossgate School am A great opportunity to catch up on the autumn maintenance for our young trees. They now surround the whole school grounds, so plenty to do. We will also carry on preparing the bog garden for planting in the spring. At least the grass growth should be easing now!
Penhale Woodland, Heysham pm We will need to do some woodland management, pruning overhanging branches, clearing brambles from paths and topping up with bark chippings. A magic little wildlife site.
30th October - Bare Lane Station am Fence Repair and Bulb Planting. There is a 4m stretch of fencing to repair which will ensure that the signal box compound is secure. As Northern Station Adopters, we have new autumn bulbs to plant in the platform planters, to give a good spring display. Lots of jobs for everyone.
Great Wood pm The seasonal start of some woodland management. We are waiting for the results of a comprehensive management plan for Great Wood (undertaken by Lancashire Wildlife Trust), but we will still need to do some path clearing and ensure that the glades are kept open. This is also a good time to do any pond maintenance.
13th November - Hazelwood Farm, Silverdale, Bee and Butterfly Garden Our work day at Hazelwood Farm in September was very productive and included a drystone wall repair. However, there is lots more to prepare for next year - weeding and thinning some of the more invasive plants. Of course we will be leaving lots of seed heads for the birds and insects.
27th November - White Lund Farm, Mellishaw Lane, Morecambe LA3 3FB (meeting in the farmyard). New hedge planting. We will be planting a 140m stretch of hawthorn hedge with plants donated by OVO Energy/TCV. This is along a newly fenced track and connects two ends of an existing hedge creating a more connected habitat. There are also plans to plant some small trees such as rowan and field maple, as a copse, near to a large pond on the farm at Great Fearkla.
11th December – White Lund Farm Carrying on with the new hedge planting.
A vole by Belmount Meadows