Task Reports, January – July 2001

JANUARY

Sunday 7th

Lakeside, Oakwood (16)

Enfield Conservation Volunteers opened their programme for the New Year with a return visit to Lakeside, Oakwood where some 7 years previously we had assisted local residents in a general clean-up programme.
In 1994, all of our efforts were concentrated on the removal of branches and other debris from the lake and the clearance of scrub from the surrounding footpaths. This time the emphasis was on the felling of a number of elm trees which had fallen victim to the ravages of the Dutch elm beetle, and the lopping of branches from other trees over-hanging the footpaths and lake.
All told, about 12 local residents and 4 ECV volunteers took part and between us we achieved far more than we had thought possible at the beginning of the day. The weather was perfect, the residents most appreciative and we gained one, possibly two, new recruits.
By any standards, it was a really good day!

Bob Phillips

Sunday 21st

Pymmes Park (4)

Pymmes Park has been a public park for just over 100 years. It is showing it’s age in some places and needs some repairs. The council’s bid for lottery money has been successful and £2 million has been allocated to improve the park. The lake will be dredged and generally improved along with the bridges and the paths will be resurfaced as part of the overall improvement plan.
Terrible weather conditions meant that only four volunteers turned out for the task in hand for the day. Part of the improvement to the lake will be reinstating the banks a the lake edge. At the south-east end of the lake, some small silver birches were so close to the lake that they needed removing to enable future work to take place. The four volunteers set about the task and the trees were removed and then cut up to be ‘chipped’ and recycled as mulch. We have been assured that more trees will be replanted than we removed. ECV will look forward to being asked to help plant trees in the revamped park when the time comes.

John Mayo

FEBRUARY

Sunday 4th

Whitewebbs Park

(Cancelled due to Foot and Mouth Disease)

Sunday 20th

Pymmes Park (7)

MARCH

Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th

New River Loop (5+6)

Last year ECV volunteers replanted a section of the New River bank following the dredging work. Unfortunately the Canada geese showed their appreciation of our efforts by grazing the plants to the ground and only a few had survived. This year we returned with new plants and a plan to prevent the geese climbing onto the banks. Over 2 days eleven volunteers assisted the rangers by stretching wire strands across the slopes from the river to the bank to act as a deterrent. Young marginal plants such as reedmace and iris were then planted and some twiggy branches put over them to stop any geese which might fly in from the golf course stopping for a take-away.
Hopefully these plants will survive and this summer provide a colourful show for people strolling along the opposite bank. If not, see you all again, same place next year!

Judy Mayo

Sunday 18th

Whitewebbs Park

(Cancelled due to Foot and Mouth Disease)

APRIL

Sunday 1st

Oakwood Park (5)

The new Visitor Centre and wildlife garden in Oakwood Park were opened to the public on 1st April.
ECV had been invited along to help children make bird nestboxes and to supervise the planting up of the flower-beds, but these were quite deep raised beds and had first to be filled with topsoil. Our friends in Groundforce had constructed the beds some days previously from old railway sleepers and had partially filled them, but there was much more soil needed. It took the 5 of us involved the whole morning to wheelbarrow in the required amount and to make the beds level. Then, after a quick ‘cuppa’ and a sandwhich, the beds were planted up with bluebells, daffodils, primroses and snowdrops plus one or two buddleia and hawthorn, which no doubt be added to in due course by the Oakwood Park children’s wildlife club.
Because of insufficient advertising, the number of visitors was rather disappointing but several children did try their hands at carpentry and went home proudly clutching nest boxes. The wood for the boxes was supplied by Alan Shearsby and the Enfield Rotary Club.
The weather was kind to us for a change and it was quite an enjoyable day.

Bob Phillips

Sunday 15th

Trent Park (5)

Not for the first time, Enfield Conservation Vounteers spent Easter Sunday working in the Nature Trail Woodland in Trent Country Park.
This year found 5 of us sliding about in the mud down by the lake on the Middlesex University side, installing a kissing gate next to the 5-bar gate which we put in some twelve months ago. Because of the foot and mouth restrictions and the closure of Pets Corner, there were fewer people than usual about but those who did brave the muddy conditions were not unappreciative of our efforts.
For our part, we were quite pleased with the days work.

Bob Phillips

Sunday 29th

Gough Park

(Cancelled due to Foot & Mouth Disease)

MAY

Sunday 13th

Trent Country Park (7)

Although the main purpose of our visit to Trent Country Park on 13th May was to continue with our fencing project in the Nature Trail woodland, we also hoped to raise much needed funds through a plant and book stall on the green opposite the cafeteria.
As if in answer to our prayers, the day turned out warm and sunny and people flocked to the park in droves. Our stall attracted a fair number of customers but our sales would undoubtedly have been far greater had not so many people gone rushing past, oblivious to everything except a frantic desire to secure a place in the barbecue area. Still, all things considered, we didn’t do too badly.
Those of us who did not consider ourselves ‘au fait’ with modern high-powered sales techniques, busied ourselves in the Nature Trail woodland, stapling stock fencing onto the post and rail fencing constructed on previous visits. Altogether we put up 2 and a bit rolls, totalling some 115 metres, from the lower kissing gate and along the side of the lake.
Including the sales team, 7 volunteers took part in the days activities.

Bob Phillips

Sunday 24th

Forty Hall Remembrance Arbour (6)

A dry sunny day greeted six members for a day in this part of the park. The arbour has trees paid for by the public in remembrance of loved ones. Sadly a few of the trees had died and needed replacing. To try and blend with the existing surroundings, trees about 4 metres tall were planted. These trees were container grown with a large and healthy rootball. With a large hole excavated to the correct depth, four people were required to lift the trees into place. A good team effort resulted in the removal of all the dead trees and the replacement of healthy trees. This part of the park being located close to Forty Hall Farm was out of bounds for a while due to the foot and mouth crisis. The resulting peace and quiet had meant the wildlife was free to roam here undisturbed. Some pheasants have moved into the nearby woods. Their continual calling make a different sound in the park and we hope they will continue to live here.

John Mayo

JUNE

Sunday 10th

Duchy Road, Hadley Wood (5)

This is a new site for ECV. Our midweek colleagues Groundforce had already started here by clearing the site of weeds and brambles. This is a small site leading from the road down to Monken Mead Brook. The site slopes down to the brook, so ECV’s main task for the day was to install 2 sets of steps cut into the bank. Five people set about the task. Some showers fell but not so heavy as to stop work. We will return here again to create a pathway through the site.

John Mayo

JULY

Sunday 8th

Grovelands Park Boardwalk construction (4)

Today’s task was to construct a Boardwalk across a particularly muddy section of the wooded area in Grovelands Park. It’s near to the end of the stream running through the park, and the area occasionally floods. We constructed the boardwalk using railway sleepers as rails and cut pieces of plank as the surface. The sleeps took at least two of us to carry into position and place into shallow channels we had dug to hold them. We then secured them with stakes on the inside. We laid 10 sleepers in all, covering a distance of about 40 feet (around 11 odd metres). We would have gone further (we had the sleepers) but unfortunately we had only 4 volunteers as well as the Park’s Ranger, Christine.
The next week, ECV’s sister group Groundforce added more sleepers and continued the boardwalk further away from the ‘danger’ area.
Not many people seemed to be in the park that day, but the ones that did pass us were very appreciative of the work we were doing, knowing the area to be a muddy one at other times of the year. It’s always nice to get some direct feedback from the public and know that people like what we’re doing.

Robin Herbert