Merry Christmas from Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve!

 

Report from Wapley work morning 26 November

 

The new grit bin near the Shire Way gate

 

Six of us tackled a range of important tasks on the last work morning of 2023. We dug out the remaining middle third of the seasonal woodland stream to prevent it flooding and affecting the ground flora, and cut out some intrusive blackthorn in the orchard area on the Common.

In addition we swept the leaves and mud from the "slippery slope" between the bridge on the Common, and a school volunteer party cleared the slope on the Shire Way side a few days later. Dodington Parish Council then arranged for South Glos Council to provide a grit bin (pictured) near the Shire Way gate, for use by volunteers, parish council staff and members of the public when it gets icy.

Sunday 26 November - Wapley Bushes Nature Reserve maintenance morning

We’ll be digging out the remaining part of the stream down through the woods, so that it doesn't flood during heavy rain. Last time we couldn’t get through the brambles to reach this section, but it should be accessible now. We also have overgrown vegetation to cut back and litter collection to do.

Meet at 10 am at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, near the entrance to Cherington, Yate BS37 8US. Please wear stout footwear and bring gloves if you have them. If not, we’ll provide gloves that you can keep until the next workday.

Please come and join us even if you haven’t been before. You can bring your own tools or tools will be provided. Everyone is welcome, though children under 16 will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult.

LOOKING AHEAD

We’re planning tree planting sessions for early in the New Year.

Would you like to be kept informed of these work mornings and other activities? If so, please email paul.hulbert@gmail.com and we’ll put you on our mailing list.

Saturday 28 October - Kingsgate Park Nature Area Work Morning

We shall be undertaking maintenance of this important amphibian site, cutting back undergrowth etc. Please wear wellington boots and bring some gloves and tools if you have them, otherwise they will be provided.

Meet at the Scott Way entrance to Kingsgate Park, Scott Way, Yate, BS37 4NW. There is some parking near at the entrance of Shackleton Avenue, but please be considerate of residents.

Organised by the Southwold Group of Avon Wildlife Trust.

Saturday 7 October - Kennedy Way Pond Work Morning

We shall be carrying out general management tasks on this, our smallest local nature reserve area. Please wear wellington boots, and bring some gloves if you have them (if not. we will provide)

Meet at the Kennedy Way Pond, Link Road, Yate Shopping Centre at 10.00am.

 

Parking is available at the Yate overflow car park also on the eastern side of Link Road, BS37 4AY - park near the cinema end and walk across the footbridge over the River Frome.

Report from Wapley Work Morning Sunday 17 September

We made good progress on our first work morning of the autumn. Seven of us split into two groups to tackle the vegetation on either side of the seasonal stream through the Ancient Woodland and to scrape out the stream bed, starting from each end.

However once again we found that the massive brambles in the middle were too much to do only using hand tools - we'll have to make alternative arrangements.

Instead we moved down onto the Common and removed some rather nasty blackthorn that the farmer hadn't been able to get at. There will be some more of that to deal with on a later workday.

Wapley Guided Walk Saturday 23 September – The Orchard for the Future and Wapley Common

 

This guided walk will start at 2.00 pm from the Shire Way gate, covering Wapley Common, the Orchard for the Future and a short section of woodland. You will be able to learn about local bird life, the historic importance of “home orchards” for local farms and cottages, and how the area is being managed to encourage pollinators, small mammals and owls.

Apart from the slopes either side of the railway bridge the walk route is fairly flat. If the railway bridge would be too much of an obstacle, you can park at the Besom Lane gate and walk across the Common to meet us near the railway bridge.

Please wear suitable footwear – if it has rained the ground may be slippery in places.

Wapley Bushes - more ash dieback work

Dodington Parish Council will have a contractor at Wapley Bushes from Monday 18th September to tackle some trees infected with ash dieback disease.  Please take care if walking in the area, particularly if you have a dog and/or children.  They have put some signs up around the area and the contractor will be closing off small areas and footpaths as necessary to ensure the safety of all.  They will begin working along the lower path in the Ancient Woodland, with further works required in the woodland just beyond the picnic field (known as the Western Wood), and to two large ash trees on the common.

Wapley Bushes work morning Sunday 17 September

 

 

Come and join in with the volunteers of Wapley Bushes Conservation Group on this community work morning.

We’ll be digging out the bed of the stream down through the woods, so that it won’t flood when we get heavy rain. We’ll also be doing litter collection and a general tidy-up, so there will something for everyone.

Please wear walking or wellington boots and bring gloves if you have them. If not, we’ll provide gloves that you can keep until the next workday – as a COVID precaution we’re not sharing gloves.

Please come and join us even if you haven’t been before. You can bring your own tools – for example shears or secateurs if you’ve got them – or if not, tools will be provided. Everyone is welcome, though children under 16 will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, BS37 8US.

Wapley Bushes volunteer work morning CANCELLED - Saturday 15 July 10 am

*** DUE TO CONTINUING BAD WEATHER - FORECAST HEAVY RAIN, THUNDER AND HIGH WINDS - THIS EVENT HAS NOW BEEN CANCELLED ***

We're expecting a lot of visitors over the summer, so it’s time for a tidy-up. We need to cut back along the edges of some of the paths and do a litter-pick so there will be something for everybody, as always.

Meet at 10 am at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, BS37 8US. Please wear stout footwear and bring gloves if you have them. If not, we’ll provide gloves that you can keep until the next workday.

Please come and join us even if you haven’t been before. You can bring your own tools or tools will be provided. Everyone is welcome, though children under 16 will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Wapley Bushes Meadows and Woodlands Summer Walk - Sunday 2 July 2 pm

Marbled white butterfly on knapweed

Come and join us on this guided walk through the rich flower meadows at the peak of their display. We’ll see a wide range of butterflies, moths, birds and other creatures.

Then we’ll look at the problem of ash dieback disease and what is being done about it, and explore the fascinating and varied habitat of the Ancient Woodland.

This walk is suitable for all ages, but please note that there are some steep paths.

Meet at 2 pm at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, BS37 8US. Please wear suitable footwear in case the ground is slippery in places.

Wapley Common Wildflower Planting Morning - Sunday 14 May 10.00 am

Pollinators on the grassland in the Orchard for the Future

Please come and join in! On this volunteer work morning we’ll be planting a mixture of different meadow species plug plants to enhance the diversity in the Orchard for the Future section of Wapley Common.

These plants will help encourage pollinators and discourage more invasive species.

We'll also be doing a "deep clean" of various areas of the Reserve and cutting back some overgrowth. As always there will be some lighter tasks for people who prefer them.

You'll need to wear stout footwear, and please bring gloves if you have them. If not, we’ll provide gloves that you can keep - we don’t share gloves.

You can come and join in even if you haven’t been before. You can bring your own tools, or tools will be provided. Everyone is welcome, though children under 16 need to be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Meet at 10 am at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, BS37 8US.

Wapley Hedge and Avenue trees planted on 11 March

 

Spring sunshine through the newly planted hedgeline

 

Nine Wapley Bushes volunteers had a very productive work morning on Saturday 11 March. We continued replanting the hedgerow between the Ancient Woodland and the Centenary Wood, putting in 92 trees of a range of native species. We had only expected to plant 60, but our supplier over-delivered (and generously refused an offer of payment for the extra - thank you Landcare Tree Nursery of Old Sodbury - highly recommended!) The "new/old" hedge is now more than 100 metres long.

We then went down to Wapley Common to help out where Dodington Parish Council staff, their contractor and volunteers were putting in 8 major trees to complete The Avenue across the Common parallel to the tarmac roadway - two each of Field Maple, Large Leaf Lime, Walnut and Sweet Chestnut. Four were financed by the Queen's Canopy Fund, two are memorials to former Dodington Parish Council Chairmen Robin Blake and Linda Rush, and two were donated by Wapley Bushes Conservation Group to complete what will be a valuable wildlife corridor.

Two more apple trees have been planted in the Orchard for the Future, paid for by the Allotment Association and one of the parish councillors. So all in all we have planted a splendid 254 trees at Wapley this winter. Well done to everyone involved!

Our next work morning will be on Saturday 15 April at Goose Green Nature Reserve, where we will be undertaking reserve maintenance on this local grassland and wetland nature reserve such as path clearance and litter picking. Please wear walking or wellington boots and please bring your own gloves if you can.

We'll be meeting at the bridge on the reserve, west of Oak Close, north Yate, BS37 5TN, at 10.00am. Please come and join us!

Wapley Bushes tree planting morning - Saturday 11 March

For the third Wapley Bushes tree planting work morning of the winter, we will have some more very small young trees to extend the boundary hedge between the Centenary Wood and the Ancient Woodland, to re-establish a hedgeline that was lost a few years ago. As usual there will also be a variety of lighter tasks, so there's something for everyone.

What happens on our work mornings?

We'll be meeting at 10 am at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, BS37 8US. Please wear stout footwear and bring gloves if you have them. If not, we’ll provide gloves that you can keep until the next workday – as a COVID precaution we’re not sharing gloves.

Please come and join us even if you haven’t been before. You can bring your own tools - for example a spade if you've got one - or if not, tools will be provided. Everyone is welcome, though children under 16 will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Wapley hedge is getting longer

 

We had a very good work morning on Sunday 19 February. 11 volunteers made short work of planting another 60 small trees to extend the old boundary hedge that we're restoring between the Ancient Woodland and the Centanary Wood - it's now 75 metres long, with more to come. We also planted two oak trees that volunteers have been growing at home - they're called Little and Large!

Our next Wapley work morning will be on Saturday 11 March, meeting at 10.00 am at the Shire Way gate.

Wapley Bushes tree planting morning - Sunday 19 February

For the second Wapley Bushes tree planting work morning of the winter, we will have some more very small young trees to replace some of the tall trees that were cut down due to ash dieback disease. We will be planting them as a boundary hedge between the Centenary Wood and the Ancient Woodland, to re-establish a hedgeline that was lost a few years ago. As usual there will also be a variety of lighter tasks, so something for everyone.

Meet at 10 am at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, BS37 8US. Please wear stout footwear and bring gloves if you have them. If not, we’ll provide gloves that you can keep until the next workday – as a COVID precaution we’re not sharing gloves.

Please come and join us even if you haven’t been before. You can bring your own tools - for example a spade if you've got one - or if not, tools will be provided. Everyone is welcome, though children under 16 will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult.