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.
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!!
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