The clearing continues at West Beckham Old Allotments

18th October……..what a glorious day - blue skies, sunshine and warm temperatures, a great day for spending time in the open air enjoying nature at its best and working at the West Beckham Old Allotments! We were pleased to welcome two newcomers, Wayne and Suzanne, making a total working party of ten.

Our main aim today was to clear more of the area at the far end of the plot, especially around the trees that we had previously planted and to examine them, taking out any that have not survived, weeding around them, firming them in the ground and generally making sure that they are ready for winter. Our teams of scythers, clearers and tree inspectors worked tirelessly through the morning and by mid-day had made a real difference. It is always rewarding to be able to see the improvement that we can make in a relatively short space of time. It makes all the hard work worthwhile.

The really good news was that, as we uncovered more of the trees, we could see that the survival rate continues to be high especially taking into account the dry and hot weather that we had during the summer. The hedges are forming nicely and we have a good foundation for next year.

Nigel Smith