A most enjoyable return to this wonderful Centre on the coast, five years after our last visit. Apart from a couple of short showers, we had sunny weather for the various tasks the Centre Manager, Paul, had asked us to do. Fortunately, there were nine of us (including a new volunteer, Danny), so we were able to complete everything on the list – and more.

In 2018 we built a log wall around a partly paved glade that was to be used as an activity area for members of the community who use the Centre. In the years since, other areas have been developed and this one isn’t used any more. The plan is to allow it to return to a natural woodland glade so our job was to lift the paving stones and dismantle the old, partly collapsed, wall and rebuild it along the line of the existing path. We were very careful to preserve some beautifully mossy logs and patches of fungi on the old wall and they were put on top of the new wall, recreating those habitats and making the new wall look as if it has been there for ages. So satisfying!

The old log wall - before

Starting the new build

Dismantling in progress

The rebuilt wall - finished

​In another part of the wood, we (well, Julian and Peter) also built a new section of log wall as part of the minibeast mansion that was started some years ago and is extended every year.

The minibeast mansion wall in progress

Minibeast hotel complete

​As we’d completed this work by lunchtime, we were able to do an extra job from Paul’s wish list in the afternoon. A buddleia outside the Centre office is attracting lots of butterflies and other insects, so Paul wanted to plant more buddleias along part of the track near the office. It already has a number of ornamental shrubs along it, but to create space for more we removed some saplings to clear a glade going back to the original tree line, in the process revealing some blackthorn plants that had been completely overshadowed by the young but rapidly growing trees. Insects will benefit from the buddleias that will be planted there but on the day the other beneficiaries were the Centre’s sheep, who were delighted to have some leafy brash delivered to their field, to munch on.

Clearing space for buddleias

Clearing space - 2

Happy sheep

Amazing fungi

Thanks to Paul and Travis for their warm welcome and to our volunteers who worked so hard to achieve so much. A rewarding day that will benefit the wildlife for years to come.

We later received the following message of thanks from Paul: 'Huge thanks for your efforts. The area looks amazing and everyone has commented on how good it looks.'
 
Jude