We’ll be hopefully (if it’s stopped raining) having the usual volunteer session on Sunday June 3rd at 2 O’clock if anyone would like to help fr an hour or so.

Great to have Holly, Ethan and Ben join our volunteers as part of their Duke of Edinburgh award programmes.  With their help Mike, Adam and Malcolm finally managed by May 31st to finish breaking up the clay clods and levelling the soil behind the new extension wall in the northeast corner of Mayfields.  They added leaf-mould,  sowed a mix of grass and wildflower seeds and watered well in.  Rain on 2nd June helped keep the system moistened.

We noticed on May 10 that some of our newly transplanted in-the-green English Bluebells had been trampled by humans and/or dogs.  Adam, Mike and Malcolm therefore coppiced some hazel to make a small section of protective fencing, as shown below.  This should help the bulbs to establish.

MCT has been working hard at our Sunday afternoon sessions recently,  replacing Spanish Bluebells with native English Bluebells (you can find more on our Bluebells page).  We have been carefully removing some of the Nettles, Jack-by-the-hedge and Ground Elder to reduce competition around the Bluebells.  MCT is grateful for the help from Ben and Holly, who joined recently as Sunday afternoon volunteers getting experience towards their Duke of Edinburgh bronze awards, as well as to our usual team of Mike, Lesley, Paul, Adam, Ellie, Malcolm and Louise.  We have also added more Foxgloves near one of the MCT information boards, and spent a fair amount of time watering new transplants.

I’m glad Paul and Malcolm managed to mow path verges for the first time this year on April 29th as it’s far too wet on Wednesday May 2nd!!  In 2017 we had to start mowing months earlier!