The gateway to a new GG venue….
One of the several fallen trees.
First, trim off all the smaller branches.
Then drag them away.
Starting work on the main trunks.
Phew…all this on a hot sunny day!
Trimming some of the overhanging trees and shrubs.
What a difference…! The tumbled trees have all but gone.
One huge pile of cut branches.
So much more light getting in now.
We were careful not to step on the common spotted orchids….
and we repositioned this common toad away from the work area.
I imagine that more than a few GG members had to look at the map that Mark thoughtfully attaches to the work program before starting out to this new venue. This well hidden cemetery is to the south of the junction where Great Preston Road joins Smallbrook Lane and is one of those places that we have all driven by many times but never noticed the cemetery gates…! As parking here is very restricted, it was park in the surrounding side streets and then walk the rest of the way. We were met by the church warden who gave us a tour of the cemetery to point out the jobs that he would like us to tackle. The largest of these tasks (quite literally!) was a huge Leylandii tree that had toppled across one of the main pathways. The photographs above show just how massive this tree was and I think that we were somewhat sceptical of our chances of cutting it up. With true GG grit, we were soon removing the outer branches before tackling the much larger trunk sections. The sun was really beating down so it was definitely a day for short sleeves and plenty of bottled water. Come tea break, everyone was more than ready for a rest and a refreshing cuppa…! While some of the team were playing at being lumberjacks, the others were trimming back the overhanging shrubs and trees which made access to graves a whole lot easier. Special care was taken to ensure that we didn't disturb any nesting birds or step on the wildlife or wild flowers. This was a very challenging session but very enjoyable to work in such a lovely wild life haven on the outskirts of busy Ryde. Please can we have a return visit there soon?
Many thanks to Terry for the photographs this week.
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