Nine members assembled today with two separate tasks Six of us met one of the Rangers on Little Wood Bank, and began clearing Holly. We used hand tools while he was very industrious with a chainsaw. The cuttings will be chipped next week. At Stone Cross Field, three of us levelled and mortared the cover band ready for the top slab then took a template to deliver to the quarry so they can cut it appropriately.
Seventeen of us worked today in 3 distinct Groups. On a dry but windy day, seven of us met at Stone Cross Field to continue working on the first of the benches around the sycamore tree. We have now reached the coverband stage and are ready to add the top stones once they have been shaped with the stone grinder. Three people went to Tony’s Steps and replace three steps; two on the long rise of steps and one on the flight of steps across to the right.. A fallen tree, on the top Path behind the Golf Club Car
Stone Cross Field was the place to be today, when nine of us congregated there. A team of three began the work of constructing the planned stone benches. The foundation was laid, and then some of the bigger stones were piled on top to stop any vandalism – just in case! A group of four worked with a ranger who had brought 25 Alder Buckthorn and 25 Goat Willow whips for planting, and a truckload of mulch for spreading amongst the old and newly planted stock.
Today is supposedly Blue Monday, but the eleven who worked today, were only blue from the cold. All but one went straight to the Gorse Patch and burned the Gorse, cut last week. The other member of the group collected quite a lot of litter from Beauchief Drive and around the Abbey Ponds. A Mercedes had been dumped and burnt-out in the Allotments Car Park over the weekend but had been removed by the time we began work.
Our first Morning of 2024, saw twelve group members arrive at the Gorse Patch, where we were quick to get going due to the cold temperature. The pre-Christmas cutting was continued to completion, and we will burn this next week.
Seventeen members arrived for our final working morning of 2023. The gorse cut last week was burned. The fire was correctly reported to the FCC at 9:31 and cancelled at 15:07 after a final check by Jon. At 11.00 am we were joined by the Group Chair and Secretary, who joined in with our Christmas celebration.
The weather didn’t deter us today and thirteen of us made it up to the Gorse Patch, all bringing their own tools given the current situation with the Barn.
No meeting was held today. The attached photograph of flooding on the path between the lower and middle Abbey Ponds, with rain still coming down, shows why we decided to cancel. The Gorse would have been soaking wet and the conditions underfoot very slippery. Neither conducive to safe working.
The ten workers that arrived today were treated to a beautiful clear morning with the Trees displaying their Autumn colours. We then split into small groups to work on the following tasks A litter pick of the immediate area was undertaken, but the pickings were slim after the recent bad weather; hopefully a good sign. Beauchief Abbey Lane was cleared of leaves & mud by a large group of us. A few cut a hedge, mostly Blackthorn, that had overgrown and was forcing people to walk on the grass area rather than the path, in the area on the Round
Seven members of the group met on an inclement morning. Two completed earlier work on the stone wall in Gulley’s Meadow, in spite of running out of cope stones. They improvised by double-coping in the middle. Two others cleared the conduits from the middle pond to the lower pond whilst the remaining three began work on replacing two rotten steps on the path up to the Deer Park before being joined by the pond clearers. The Holly Path was also cleared of overhanging branches. After coffee, the group cut back brambles and grass and removed collars and stakes from more
Gulley’s Wood Meadow has been mowed by Abbeydale Golf Club, and there is no further remedial work required by us. Ten of us turned out today with two going to Gulley’s Wood Meadow and the rest to the Nature Park : In Gulleys Wood Meadow the damaged wall was rebuilt to just short of coverband level and additional vandal (?) damage 10 yards further on (pushing over the cope stones – though thankfully, not this time, demolishing the rest of the wall) repaired. In the Nature Park, we finished the bench , by putting the actual seat on it. A
A cold but bright and sunny morning saw ten members meet at the Barn, and the following tasks were identified and carried out. We carried on the pruning of the trees behind the Barn; some were overhanging the delicate Roof. Three members went to the dry-stone wall along the edge of Gulley’s Meadow which had fallen over either by natural causes or from people who wanted access into the wood. Quite a bit of stone had to be retrieved from the wood before reconstruction could start. We did manage to get a few stones into position but it will take a
Beauchief is a beautiful area of Sheffield containing ancient woods, ponds and unspoilt meadows rich in wildlife, affording splendid views. It also includes the important historic sites of Beauchief Abbey and Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet. It is a place to wander through and enjoy, following its many footpaths.