Short back and sides - Wapley work morning 6 July

Seven volunteers braved threatening clouds to cut back excess vegetation to make life easier for visitors -and also for some of the residents of the Nature Reserve!

We opened up the area round the notice boards near the Shire Way entrance and then trimmed part of the path up to the slope towards the bridge - Dodington Parish Council staff had already trimmed much of the rest of the path. 

On the Common we cleared sightlines for cyclists and then opened up the fronts of the bug hotels to give better access for insects and birds. We were careful to check each area for nests before we started cutting.

We also cleared vegetation from the kissing gate at the Besom Lane end and tidied up round some of the new seats. Parish Council staff are currently working on trimming back the paths in the woodlands.

Have you seen the new "dead hedge" constructed by pupils from Culverhill Special School, supervised by Dodington Parish Council's Estates Officer? This will be great habitat for birds and insects, especially when climbing plants have been planed to climb up over it. The dead hedge replaces an old boundary fence on the woodland edge.