Hackfall Woods: 05-11-2024

   

Remember, remember,

the 5th November....

...but not because the NCVs were plotting on carrying out any subversive activities involving gunpowder or treason. They just had to put the date in their diaries to remind them to turn up at Hackfall Woods. They needed to carry out some much needed woodland maintenance, as it was nearly 2 months sunce their last visit. 

Having had a week off duty, they were all rested and ready for action and, despite the gloomy sky....

.... there was a good turn out and lots got done.

 

Now gang. I want you to split up into three

 teams and go off in different directions

to do whatever is needed.

 

One team went off and tackled gully clearance 

and repairs; step cleaning and declogging

 the stream to the weeping rock. 

This gully was situated in a 

particularly muddy patch. 

 

Another team of artisans dealt with the replacement 

of an edging board alongside the path

 from Fisher's Hall to Alum Spring. 

They did an amazing job, using only nature's 

supply of pegs and butressing for the boards. 

 

A third team reported having cleared fallen

 branches, gullies  and unspecified 'other stuff'.

 However, in the absence of any photographic

 evidence of this,we will just have to take it on trust

they weren't swinging the lead

 and admire this nice autumn fungus instead! 

Pateley Bridge Churchyard: 22-10-2024

 

 If you walk into any supermarket in Britain at the moment, you will be reminded that there are a number of special days coming up that you should be spending your hard earned cash preparing for.

Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night, Christmas. So much celebration lies ahead!!

However - did you realise that there are only 2 days remaining before the most important celebration of all in the UK's calendar of important dates?

No? 

No idea? 

Why - WORLD TRIPE DAY of course!!! The day when the Tripe Marketing Board will do its best to encourage you to eat tripe with gusto - whatever anyone may think of you. 

The NCVs could hardly contain their excitement - only 2 days to go. How should they decorate the outside of their houses? What recipes for tripe should they cook for the big day? Should they send cards to their loved ones to mark the occasion? 

As you can imagine, they were all extremely glad that there was a task in Pateley Bridge churchyard to focus on  to take their minds off the upcoming festivities. After all, time passes much more quickly when you are busy. Tripe day would arrive sooner if they did some manual labour. And here they are, trying their best not to get over-excited with thoughts of tripe.

 

 

The task involved cutting down the

extemely high laurel hedge

 at the back of the church.

 

Then the brash had to be shifted 

to the bottom of the steps over here....

 

...where some of it needed processing...

 

....before it was hauled up... 

 

... to the top of

the steps for chipping. 

Brash shifters certainly got 

their steps in today!!

The steps first had to be power 

hosed by Andy to make them 

safe to use.

Once he got started he then carried 

on and did all the slippery paths 

around the church itself.

Great job Andy!!

Up above the church the chipping team

got busy getting rid of the brash tsunami

that just kept on coming.

It was fed into the gaping maw

of the industrial chipper that had 

been hired for the day...

 

...then shot over the wall, 

back into the churchyard. 

Here it was collected into a 

big heap by the end of the day.

It was a VERY noisy process.

Meanwhile, back at the hedge face....

 

...Liz just kept chainsawing....

 

...and Osian just kept pulling.

 

Slowly, bit by bit, the laurel was 

dismantled and either chippped...

 

...or turned into two enormous log piles.

 

 

By close of play it was all but gone...

 

...and the boundary wall was revealled.

 

Thank goodness for the biscuits and 

tarts provided by the church and 

the banana buns, kindly made by Liz.

They provided a much needed

 boost to energy levels!

 

Job finished, the NCVs packed up 

and headed home. Only one more full

 day to go to World Tripe day now!!

NB There will be no blog next week. The NCVs are being given a free week seeing it is half term. Liz is on leave and Ros will be making besom brooms up at Brimham, so there will be no-one to keep the troops in order.

St Cuthbert's Church, Pateley Bridge: 15 -10-2024

 

Years On.... 

 

It was almost exactly three years ago, to the day, that the NCVs finished working their magic on the churchyard of St Cuthbert's, Pateley Bridge.

Readers may well remember that they cleared great quantities of vegetation from the gravestones, transforming what looked initially like this:

into something that looked like this:

When the venue was first mentioned everyone was wondering what the task would be this time. A repeat performance perhaps?

On arrival they discovered that this was exactly what was on the cards. 

 

 

Ladies and Gents. Loppers at the ready!

 

Liz took to the stage to 

direct operations.

The large group was split into teams.

 

One team was dispatched to 

clear the paths which were 

getting overgrown. 

Spades were deployed...

...and the paths revealed.

A much bigger team was sent off to 

the bottom corner to tackle the 

brambles and ivy that had taken over.

 

Tony was up to his waste in the stuff.

Friedy looked determined to 

get the upper hand.

Pretty soon, vast heaps 

of vegetation appeared.

What on earth were 

we going to do with it?!

"Don't worry folks. With a bit of judicious 

pruning we can hide it away in here."

 

By close of play the lower corner

 was, once again, as clear as could be.

Will and Alistair got busy higher up,

clearing around the gravestones.

Tim 'The Strim' spent the day 

whizzing around the place.

Now THIS monster definitely 

needed its crown lifting.

Ah. That is MUCH better.

Whilst all this was going on in plain sight,

hidden away at the top end of the churchyard,

a transformation was taking place

in this scrubby corner. 

Osian was leading another team

in the creation of a dead hedged

area for children to use.

By close of play the hedge was complete.

Not only that, a lovely, living, hazel arch

had been woven over the entrance.

Next door, Liz and others did their best 

to get rid of this unsightly heap of laurel that 

had been cut last week.

Things started well until the 

wood chipper went on strike.

Never mind. You can't 

win 'em all.

A job for another day.

At 2:15pm time was called and the 

trailer was packed up, along with the 

defunct chipper and other sundry tools.

Time to go home!

Many thanks to Jane Spooner 

for the two plates of scones

that disappeared in a twinkling

at coffee time.

And Happy Birthday to Andy C....

...who brought along a tin of

his world famous rich man's shortbread

for a lunchtime energy hit.

Thanks Andy!!