12 brave LCG volunteers turned up to join Su and volunteers from the Nettleham Woodland Trust on what had threatened to be a very wet and windy day.  As it happened, we had rain at the very start, thereafter it remained dry right up until I got in the car as we left.

The task on the day had changed slightly from the original plan; working with Lincoln Cathedral, the Trust has designated an area of South Wood for the planting of oaks for eventual use in the Cathedral - called the Cathedral Copse. Oak saplings had been sold at the Lincolnshire Show to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the Charter of the Forest and the Battle of Lincoln in 1217.  It is intended to have a planting day on 27 November. Our jobs were to dig out all the ash trees in the area (all suffering with ash dieback) and coppice all the willow. Then marked spots were dug and topsoil added ready for the new oak saplings. A mammoth task where probably close to 100 ash were dug and hacked out with spades and picks.

While this was going on, Steve and Howard were working with two others to set in concrete posts with information boards for the reserve.

We got both tasks completed and managed to finish up at the willow tunnel, which has had a haircut and tidy up involving weaving in the growth.

​​It was mentioned that without my homemade flapjack, we wouldn't have had the energy to get the work done! 
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A really worthwhile, enjoyable but exhausting task.  Su was amazed that we got so much done and appreciated our hard work.
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​Jeff