Sunday 24 March dawned perfectly for the planned Working Party session at Abbey Fishponds. It was quite a change in fortune: this session had been postponed when the previous date was incredibly wet.
The group comprised eight willing workers – plus Bella the dog – and two hours were spent tending to the new trees at the two memorial spinneys.
The session started by taking delivery of some hay bales (thank you to Parish Council Chair Ross Macken), which were then moved (by hand!) to the work site. Next, nettles were removed from around the new trees before cardboard was laid down to act as a weed suppressant.
Finally, slabs of hay were pulled out of the bales and used to cover the cardboard jackets. It’s hoped that, with repetition of this process, the nettles will thin out close to the trunks and the canopies of the trees will eventually reduce the thickest of the regrowth.
It was tiring work, fuelled by water, tea and biscuits, but the group was sweetly serenaded by chiffchaffs, blackbirds and robins, while a kingfisher was heard but not seen. Further signs that spring had sprung were all around the site: there were thick clumps of frogspawn in the pond that will soon replenish the area with frogs.
This critical maintenance task could not have been completed without the support of our fantastic volunteers, who gave up their Sunday morning to make a positive difference to a much-loved green space in Eynsham. A huge ‘thank you’ goes to Cllr Ross, Julie, Andrew, Liz, Steve, Tessa and Gavin (not forgetting Bella the dog).
If you'd like to get involved with future working parties, please email the Parish Council via epc.comms@eynsham-pc.gov.uk and express your interest. These two-hour sessions are busy but also enjoyable and fun. No experience is required and we can attest that exertion in the fresh air with friendly people can be hugely beneficial to your wellbeing!
There are plans to hold further sessions as the need arises, although no dates have yet been set. Once we can confirm a date, we will share the news via this website and our social media channels, and email all those who have contacted us about potentially volunteering.