Just a quick summary of this weeks activities, as your usual ace correspondent has taken himself and his camera off on holiday!

Job number one was to clear a big ivy-clad bough that was laying across the towpath downstream of Coed Gwilym Park, which had not quite detached from the tree. Phil was quick to it and sawed off several sections and freed it from the stump, even before Moira arrived to help! Together they pulled some smaller branches from the water whilst Alan T used the motorised barrow to carry the debris to the park where, of course, David G chipped and chopped it into ever smaller pieces!

The main event was at the Buried Lock site, where we continued to face the upper part of the by-wash channel in stone, bringing the first section up to the final finished ground level. Andrew mixed, Phil barrowed, Mike F, Alan T, Lance, Gordon and Rowan did the deed.

Sharon, Phil and Martin tended the forest of plants on the big bank, especially the fennel which has grown to great heights and the dead wood rape seed, leaving it looking much greener. Martin was also delighted to plant the very first of the 100+ tree saplings we received from The Woodland Trust – consensus is it’s a crab apple, but time will tell! It will be great to start putting in the others in a few months time.

Mike F provided ‘coffee in the carpark’ and Moira brought along a great selection of tasty cakes. Ronnie joined us after working on the borders in the park, which are looking especially lush, particularly the wonderful bank of yellow daisies. Another warm and dry day done, with much achieved, but plenty more jobs to do as the summer ebbs away!

Another warm and dry day done, with much achieved, but plenty more jobs to do as the summer ebbs away!