Christmas Assortment

For the final work party of the year, nine of us gathered at West Beckham Old Allotments. A sharp wind was blowing so we were all keen to get on with some work. Trevor divided us into three teams and we hurried off to our tasks.

Susan, Peter and Val set about clearing around the trees by the bird-watching shelter. Many were large enough to have their tree guards removed, while others were cleared of encroaching vegetation before their guards were refitted. Then they were mulched around the base.

This area is growing into quite a thicket – and is jolly prickly, so hands were protected with thick gloves and eyes with safety goggles.

Whilst we worked, we were delighted to see a beautiful golden frog hunkered down in the vegetation around the trees, while an exquisitely marked snail had made one of the tree guards its winter home.

Team two was made up of just Seán and Nick, but they more than pulled their weight, shovelling road planings from the heap that had been delivered to the lane just outside WBOA, and then barrowing them to various locations. They topped up the path to the bird hide and then filled in holes around the bench and the shed, before finally levelling off the entrance to the shed extension.

The third team of John, Trevor, Carol and Andrew carried out further work on the new tool shed. This involved a lot of precision work putting up some shelves and installing a threshold, making excellent use of Andrew’s carpentry skills.

Break time was a slight departure from the norm, as the usual doughnuts were replaced by home-made mince pies – big thank you to Jane. it was great to swap season’s greetings with each other and revel in the work that we had done throughout the year. A couple of dainty Dunnocks entertained us by visiting the feeders whilst we were chatting.

After the coffee break, four of us remained behind to finish the tree care and to reload everything into the sheds. The rest of the crew headed over to Aylmerton Surveyor’s Allotment. Here, they completed the fence along the western perimeter and constructed some more dead hedges – barriers that double up as habitat for wildlife. There are masses of Foxglove leaves in the woodland which will make a glorious sight next year.

We’d like to wish happy Christmas to all our lovely volunteers and supporters. Our next work party will be at Wood Norton Surveyor’s Allotment on January 2nd – we hope to see you there. 

Val Stubbs

December 19th 2024