Category: Updates

Thirteen of us went to the Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet today, and we were given a Tour of the areas requiring us to work on. We identified the three priority areas as follows: The path up to the viewpoint had become very slippery due to moss/weeds/grass growing in the gaps and they have closed it due to it being unsafe for visitors. So, on hands and knees we cleared most of it. We will do more in two weeks’ time. A seating area had become overgrown, this was cleared, so visitors can use it, but we were careful not to remove

Fourteen members joined in today on a very warm morning. Thirteen went back to the new pond with one litter picking the area, who joined us at 11.00 am for John’s 80th Birthday celebration. We built up the pond side nearest the road, raising it around 30 cm and put more posts in to strengthen the fence.  Robins are nesting in the Barn, getting access under the Door Two newts have colonised the Pond. One was seen swimming in the water; the other was in the earth at the top of the pond side.  

Thirteen members turned up to work on the pond liner and its surroundings.  During the morning we completed a fence around the pond and the required posts though ideally we need some more to improve the stability of the fence.  Flags (plants not stones) were strewn onto the liner to produce a more natural setting.  Some water had accumulated from Sunday morning’s rain and more is forecast for this afternoon so the pond may begin to look more natural. A wander around the area showed the saplings growing well and there is plenty of blossom on the orchard fruit trees.  On a less

A gang of nine, on a wet morning, had a brilliant time at the Nature Park pond, laying the underlay and liner and beginning the surrounding fencing. Next week, if we’re all back, we should finish off the job.

Q -What is an ideal situation when you lay a new Pond Liner A – For it to rain heavily after laying it, in dry conditions. So today was not so ideal, as the heavy rain came from the early morning, but there was no chance of cancelling the delivery, even though further work was impossible In the event, sixteen of the Group stood around in high winds, rain and hail, for the delivery which was over an hour late. Then using the driver’s hydraulic lift, we manhandled the bulky pond liner so far, until the mud beat us. But

Two group totalling eleven members were working today. The three at Stone Cross Field built up the new stone bench to just below coverband level during the morning. Nine others met at the Abbey and went up to the top of the Cobbled Path, except for one who went to the Westwick steps, to give them some TLC. At the top of the Cobbled Path, the cobbles were scraped of debris and we began clearing the path around the De La Salle Field. We stopped at the bench, where a coffee break was taken; there is plenty more to do though. The

On a wet morning only four turned up the Abbey, with another four at the Stone Cross Field bench. The bench team carried on building the north facing one, which like the south facing is curved (the east and west facing benches will be straight). The other four went to the dry pond on the Nature Park and began the remedial work, but finished early. At our next meeting on April 8th – we intend to perform a finger tip search of the Pond to remove all objects that could pierce the Liner.  On April 15th – the Liner will be delivered and

We reached a grand total of thirteen today on a warm, dry Spring [nearly] day.  Eight of us went to the Cobbled Path and finished the clearance of more than three years of Autumn debris.  Next week we will go to the Westwick Steps and Driving Range path to do the same. Five of the bench group worked in Stone Cross Field on this beautiful day. We cut the turf and laid the foundation stones in preparation for building the second stone bench around the sycamore tree. 

In total there were twelve working this morning. Eight people turned out at the Barns and went to the Cobble path to continue clearing the path. Another was also out doing his usual litter picking.  As the ground at Stone Cross Field was too soft after all the rain, the three bench builders decided to delay the start of the construction of the North bench, and instead went to collect more stone from the home of a local donor. We now have enough stone for all the other three benches – and two of the dressed stone cover slabs have kindly

With seven of us meeting at the Barn and four on Stone Cross Field we had eleven today. Two of the bench builders went to Grindleford to collect the top slabs from Stoke Stoneworks whilst the other two mixed mortar and prepared the bed to receive them. The rest of the morning we spent aligning and levelling them. We can now report that the Stone Cross field southern facing bench has been completed. The group of seven cleared the outflows of the Abbey Pond, surveyed and measured the Pond in the Nature Park and began clearing the Cobbled Path of