Wed 31st Jan 2007 - Pan Allotments

This weeks task was to clear the hedge line along the footpath adjacent to the allotments at Pan. The hedge had become very overgrown and was dying from the bottom up. A truck full of debris / rubbish was collected for disposal and the dead material removed from the hedgerow. This hedge is due to be layed in the near future....this work will be carried out students foy the IoW College. Another wonderful day....the temperature was around 14 degrees C with a clear blue sky. Not bad for January!

Wed 24th Jan 2007 - Pan Meadow.

This was our third visit to this site - in recent months. The very overgrown areas of bramble have now been cut down and the surrounding trees trimmed back or removed completely. It is amazing to stand back and see what has been achieved here in such a relatively short time scale. This meeting was very well attended - especially as the weather was showing our first real signs of winter....brrrrr..!!! It will be very interesting to watch this area as spring arrives and see what developes here naturally - now the area is clear and the light can get in. Lets hope that the brambles do NOT win this time! All in all, a lot of hard work, but very worthwhile - well done to everyone who has worked here.

NOTE FROM MARK.....For those attending the First Aid course.....don't forget that it is this coming Saturday...!

Wed 17th Jan 2007 - Alvestone Marsh

For once....the weather Gods were not smiling on the Green Gymers......it tipped down....! A few hardy souls defied the elements and some work was carried out ... albeit less than planned.

Your Blog Master wasn't in attendance ...so I am afraid that details are sketchy. The pictures above were taken by Hilary.....once again....thanks to you...! I am sure that it wont be long befor the GG returns to this wonderful site and fingers crossed that the weather will have improved by then.

Photo Shoot 4A - Merstone Railway Station

A few more photographs of our day at the old Merstone Railway Station site. These ones were taken by Sam - who looked after us so well.......thanks Sam..!

Photo Shoot 4 - Merstone Old Station

A few photos of our day out at the old Merstone Railway Station. Thanks to our resident cub reporter/photographer Hilary.......who took the first 3 of the photographs show above (I took the last one....hence Buddy in shot!)

Wed 10th Jan 2007 - Merstone Railway Station

This was a new venue for the Green Gym - at the site of the old (now dismantled) railway station at Merstone. The task was to remove the weeds, brambles etc from the remains of the platform structure, sow bags full of wild flower seeds for the spring/summer and to build a "grass settee"....certainly something new for Green Gymers...!

Although Merstone is a small village, the railway station and sidings were of considerable size as this was a junction of two lines. The only remains of this former glory is the brick built platform area....which is to the north of the present day carpark.

The platform is of considerable length so a lot of work was required to attack the undergrowth and brambles. The whole of the structure can now be clearly seen, rather than just bits of it poking out of the scrub! The surrounding grass areas had been recently cut, so the cuttings were raked up and used to form a nature pile for wildlife. The whole area was then sown with wild flower seeds which should look a picture later in the year.

The Grass Settee was formed by using a timber frame in the shape of the finished item - this was then filled with compacted soil. The framework was then removed and the whole thing covered with precut turf. Sounds simple....? It is amazing just how many wheel barrows full of soil are used to make a four seater settee...! All the turf panels had to be attached to the soil using wooden pegs and chicken wire was used to reinforce the arm and the back areas. Hopefully there will be some pictures of this on the blog site at a later date.

The weather was still unseasonable mild and a little rain at the start soon cleared into a bright, warm day. We look forward to returning to this site for further work sessions as the area is being developed into a wildlife park and picnic area.

Wed 3rd Jan 2007 - Pan Meadow

First things first.....HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all...!!!

After all the turkey and pudding at Christmas, the first Green Gym of the year was most welcome. The task was to continue clearing the bramble ridden undergrowth and trees at Pan Meadow. (For those who are unsure where this is, it is the land to the west of the road passing Newport Football ground...!)

This was our second visit to this site and once again excellent progress was made towards returning overgrown wasteland back to a meadow. We have another visit planned for there in a few weeks time, so we are hoping to finish clearing the site and establish new pathways using the chipped vegetation removed so far. Now the area has been opened up, it is amazing to see just how big it is...! Well worth a quick visit if you are in Newport shopping at M&S etc. The weather was overcast with a little drizzle although still remarkably mild for this time of year.

I am afraid that your blog master forgot to take along his camera this week so no pictures.
New Year's resolution #1.....Remember to take the camera to Green Gym...

Here are a few dates to write in on all those new diaries you have been given:-

Thur 18th Jan 2007 - Winkle Street. This is to continue the work started before Xmas....hedge laying, tree removal, fencing etc. Please note that Mark wasn't sure of the details so will be sending out an e-mail soon.

Sat 27th Jan 2007 - First Aid Course. This is held at the St John's building on the Dodnor Industrial Estate Newport (Just up the road from the Riverside Vets place). Please see Mark for details.

Feb 17th & 18th 2007 - The Willow weaving course at the Botanical Gardens Ventnor.

Feb 24th (?) 2007 - The IoW annual hedge laying contest. There is a thought that the GG might want to enter one (or more!) teams in the novice class. More deatails later.

GG AGM....expected to be in Feb - date is yet to be announced.

That's about all for now folks .....except to say that we hope to see you all on Wednesday mornings throughout 2007..... Have a great year!