First aid training: 17-06-2025

 

Time for training!!

There comes a time, every so often in an NCV's life, when they are given the opportunity to do first aid training. This week was one of those times and this was why a group of us turned up at the council offices in Pateley Bridge, clutching our notebooks. So - a day of staying clean and not needing tools or wellies lay ahead. Take a look below to see what went on.....

Things started off gently with British Red Cross 

First Aid volunteer, Tracey, introducing the session.

Then a post-it note activity got everyone 

thinking and talking.

What may stop people getting

involved if they came across Helena laying on the floor?

Answer? All kinds of reasons!

Scenarios were acted out - poor Phil had 

apparently given his head a bad whack.

What should Helena do to help out?

The scenarios got more and more

serious until we reached the 

heart attack stage, at which point Annie 

joined us. 

Not only had Annie had a heart attack and needed 

CPR, but she was also missing all four of her limbs!

By 12:30 everyone felt much more able to cope than they did before. The key thing to remember was that we were not meant to be giving any kind of diagnosis, just helping keep the patient safe and comfortable until the professionals arrive.

An excellent session - thanks to Tracey Dawson and the Red Cross.

Anyone who couldn't attend should download the free British Red Cross First Aid training app.

Millennium Green and the workshop: 10-06-2025

PRIORITISE!

Most urgent?

Quite important?

Reasonably in need of doing?

Can wait for now?

There were a number of possible tasks for Liz to chose from this week. It was a case of deciding which had to be/could be done first. In the end there were two jobs that were felt to be rather important: tool sharpening and balsam pulling from Millennium Green to Pateley bridge. 13 signed up, but the question was - who opted for what? Let's take a peep shall we?

An 8 strong balsam pulling group got off to a late start 

due to the code for the gate having been changed. 

Ken made himself comfortable on his squeeze 

box stool whilst he waited.

Problem with that was he was unable to 

return to a vertical position once Liz arrived 

with the tools.

Helena was a balsam virgin and

needed a quick tutorial.

However, after this she cleared

the HB like a pro. Nothing escaped

her beady eye.

Brenda - a seasoned HB puller - 

could spot the stuff from 20 paces.

Dave tried out the new safety caps and 

found them to be better than the full helmets.

Hmmm. Post storm conglomeration?

By coffee time, both sides of the river 

above Millennium Bridge

towards Wath, were completed.

Friedy gave the Bewerley side down

to Pateley Bridge a good going over, 

but was pleased that there didn't seem to

 be much balsam around, compared

 to previous years.

The bandstand provided some

 nice lunchtime seating.

On the way back up river from Pateley

Andrew made sure 

that the water's edge was checked.

A successful day's work was somewhat marred 

when it was discovered that a large tree 

had fallen right on top of the willow caterpillar

 we made two or three years ago. It will be 

another day's task to move it and 

see if the willow tunnel can be rescued.

Meanwhile, along in the workshop, 

5 vols were busy with the tools

until 3pm.

Removal of some shelving on the back 

wall will allow additional space 

for parking the rather large new trailer. 

One or two additional items:

NCV Amy is opening her wonderful garden in Dacre Banks, in aid of charity, on 22nd June. It is well worth a visit. Not only is there an extensive, beautifully kept, garden to wander through, but there is also a sculpture exhibition and cream teas. See the details on the poster below.

Finally - for anyone who is interested -  David M. sent in this photo showing what Bark Cabin looked like in 2013, on the day the trees that we were de-tubing last week were planted.

What a difference 12 years makes!!

Then (looking downhill):

Now (looking uphill):

Bark Cabin Wood: 03-06-2025

 

Where are we going?

What are we doing?

Liz kept the gang guessing as to their task this week, due to technical issues with her email system. Consequently we were all kept sitting on the edge of our seats until Sunday evening, wondering what lay in store. When the message finally came through we were only given part of the story. 'Meet at the barn to car share to somewhere else nearby to do some "woodland management".'

Well - that could mean anything! Tube removal? Tube weeding? Tube verticalisation? Holly removal? Brash clearance? 

When we all arrived at the barn everything became clear. We were to be working in Bark Cabin Wood, a plantation on the edge of Guisecliffe Wood, doing tree tube removal. The trees had been planted a number of years ago by the Rotary club, with the help of the community and a crew of army cadets.

Finally - we could sit back in our seats and relax. 

NO YOU CAN'T! GET UP! AND START WALKING!!

So we did. All the way from Liz's house and right up the path, almost to the mast at the top of Guisecliffe,

From here it looked as if the trees had done well.

Closer inspection did confirm this to a point.

A few trees had grown horizontally, 

or even turned right angle corners.

However, there were many, 

many tubes that were empty.

Anita tried hiding to get out of walking

 any further uphill. We spotted her though.

Friedy got stuck in and remembered

to remove the posts from the tubes.

Alistair demonstrated his incredible strength

by carrying a pile of tubes to the 'nesting' area...

...where Mick set to work on tube 'nesting'...

...and Ruth then inserted them into dumpy bags.

Everyone was glad to hear when it was coffeetime...

...although patches of clean grass were at a premium.

Everywhere seemed to be covered in sheep poo.

Back to work. On we went, detubing trees

that had burst out of their covering...

...or simply picking up empty ones that were

buried under vegetation.

What's Brenda found?

Oh dear. An old helium balloon

that wasn't kept under better control.

We worked our way back downhill to find

heaps of tubes that had been collected up

by a smaller group.

Let's tidy this lot up shall we?

That's better. Both dumpy bags were full, so 

many tube heaps had to be left 

for the landowner to collect.

One group had made sure that tubes were 

stored on tree post 'stretchers' for easy transport.

Great idea gang!

Hundreds upon hundreds of tree ties were collected

in the bucket or hung in swathes from belts. 

On and on we toiled until Liz called time.

Hurray!!

There are still a lot of tubes to be removed.

Something for next year - before the 

bracken gets going!!

Hackfall Woods: 27-05-2025

Early start to beat the bullies

You may remember, if you follow this blog regularly, that last year the NCVs' visits to the Hackfall tree cages was a washout on the first attempt and a battle against the mile high bracken and balsam on the second. The vegetation was so high that the team had difficulty even finding the 8 cages. This year the gang set their alarm clock for late May, rather than late July, in the hope that both bracken and balsam would only be at their early growth stage, the cages would be easy to see and the bullies could easily be annihilated. Of course, the weather was something that could not be controlled by the earlier start. All the team could do was hope.

Did the gamble pay off? Let's take a look shall we?

A new route to the cages was 

not without its challenges.

Especially after the recent heavy rains.

Of course if they had followed Liz's instructions

they would have gone on a much better path.

As it was they followed the advice 

of a certain person who shall remain nameless.....

On arrival the situation looked promising.

The bracken and balsam was, indeed, 

only just starting to get a move on.

Well - here's a cage - easy to spot 

and not hard to reach.

The 5 strong team (yes, that's right, 

only 5. Hmmm. I wonder why?)

split into 2 groups aiming to work on 4 cages each.

Inside the cages the trees were growing well, 

possibly even getting big enough to suppress

 the bracken and balsam underneath.

Let the battle begin.

Team downhill (2 strong) 

got off to a slow start due to the preponderance

of wild rose bushes that needed pruning down 

to allow access. Only one cage was 

completed in time for coffee.

Team uphill (3 strong) got through

 2.5 cages by coffee time.

Now - is this because they:

a) had one extra person?

b) had easier cages to clear?

c) weren't doing as thorough job?

Time for a break in proceedings.

Initially they were sitting under an elder 

in case it rained - until they realised there was 

a busy colony of bees underfoot.

Everyone swiftly moved uphill.

And here we have the lovely Osian,

 modelling this spring's latest French millinery creation -

 a must have for all outdoorsy types.

It can be pulled down over the face, 

at a moment's notice, to allow the wearer to 

maintain an air of mystery or prevent 

ingress of midges "dans leur nez".

Back to business.

The outside of this cage was swamped

 by goat willow which needed cutting back

to allow access.

The final cage was dealt with by both teams

just in time for lunch and the arrival of the rain.