Severe doubt has been raised about the viability and safety of working here following or during heavy rain 🌧.  An update will be posted here either Tuesday evening or before 08.00 Wednesday morning 🌄  to confirm whether the day’s work will continue, be modified or cancelled. Please don’t leave home without checking here first.

Confirm3d.  Late start at 10.30 in the carpark. No felling. Tidy-up and burn material felled last week only. Please bring your own bow saw and/or leppers. Likely to be just 1 break for an early lunch. Be prepared to get wet and muddy, or stay at home.

Two more weeks from our pre-paid devotion to do good works on the Moors at Bishops Waltham for the HCS Central Sites team.  Task leader Barry.

As in previous years the work will be a mixture including clearing low scrub with loppers and bow saws, felling Willow and Adler with chainsaws, and burning the arising. Hazel has asked us to concentrate on cutting down the willow clump that we worked on last year. Locations 4 & 5 on the image below.

Come prepared to work on uneven ground with deep black suck-your-boots-off mud.

Please arrive in the Hoe road recreation ground carpark before 09.30 – most of you do – so that we can all head off to the work site together at that time.

Barry reports that in the rec. carpark the one-way exit alligator has a full set of new teeth so please don’t risk driving in that way.

Week 1.

End of day 1.

Bishops Waltham Moors. Cutting back the old Willow

Week 2. We were granted a fine day despite a weather warning for heavy rain and thunderstorms. The sun came out when Rod arrived to ensure we got doughnuts.

Fire 1 going with stacked material nearby.

Fire 2 soon under way

All stacked material now on the fire and burning down

Guys continue to cut down with hand tools.

You had to be there to understand how sticky the wet mud was.

Your camera man was there. Only Bernie had to be bodily extracted from the mire.

Willow thicket can now be seen through. Another 4 days of work to achieve full clearance.