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Hard work at Nutwood PDF Print E-mail
Apr 08, 2010 at 09:18 AM

 

After registering with Community Action Derby, Keith Dodd, Chairman of the Management Group was contacted by Lorna Henry, Train Planning Team Leader at SERCO Rail Operations in Derby.

As a result, a group of volunteers from SERCO spent a day at Nutwood clearing hawthorn. Image 




Lorna Henry writes:

"On Wednesday 24th March our green fingered volunteers made their way to the reserve.  The weather was mostly overcast but, as we got to work, the sun made an appearance (albeit very briefly) and it did remain dry all day.

We had a big task ahead of us.  The saying ‘you can't see the wood

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'Mayblossom'
for the trees' was very apt, you couldn't see anything through the trees except more trees.  I am not beating round the bush when I say it was tough work, but everyone put lots of effort into cutting down the many hawthorn trees.  These are covered in big needle like thorns, therefore most of us ended up looking and feeling like pin cushions.



As we hacked our way through the dense tree population we used
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Common Hawthorn (Crataegus)
the off cuts to make eco piles of twigs and branches to create habitats for new and existing wild life.  This project also improves access into the reserve for walkers and will also aid wildlife surveys of mammals, birds, insects and butterflies.

A special thank you goes to Phil Jones, Store Manager at Wickes on London Road Derby.  They supplied all the tools at cost, as their way of showing that businesses can pull together in helping in local communities

We had some good laughs throughout the day and pulled together to create real team spirit.  Oh, the old myth about money growing on trees just simply isn't true...

Thank you to all who volunteered for this project".               

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Keith Dodd, Chairman of the Management Group wrote to Lorna Henry:

Dear Lorna

Your team did a magnificent job today. I didn't think you would manage to clear both areas in the day, and you've left it all really tidy - great eco-piles. I can't thank you enough. Thanks also for the tools, which will certainly be put to good use.

If you'd like to take on another task either later this year or next, I can certainly find something!

Hope you like the photo of the team. Please thank them all again for me. And thanks to SERCO for supporting our nature reserve.

Best wishes
Keith

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The SERCO Team (left to right):

Neil Lewis, Andy Pickers, Alan Richardson, Neil Lancaster, Rosanna Lyzachenko, Chris Bishop, Barry Worthington, Mike Anderson, Lorna Henry (Team Leader), Rachel Clark, Lyn Stevens
 





The Derby Evening Telegraph published this on Wednesday, April 07, 2010:


On track to attract wildlife


GREEN-FINGERED workers from a Derby rail company have helped clear land in Darley Abbey in a bid to attract more wildlife.

The 12 employees from London Road-based Serco, part of Network Rail, worked 400 metres upstream from the village's toll bridge. They thinned hawthorn bushes to allow grasses, hazelnut trees, and oaks to grow. The cleared land is expected to attract wildlife such as green and great-spotted woodpeckers.

Serco's Lorna Henry said the work, done during normal working hours, was very successful. She said: "The clearance also meant that a path for walkers has now been opened up. We were there all day and we managed to do twice as much as what was expected."