We have been having a lot of trouble recently with people dumping their garden rubbish without permission on MCT’s compost area.  Fly tipping is illegal.  The other day a large pile of green waste was dumped illegally from someones overgrown garden.  It contained a lot of old ivy and other climbing plants.  Much was wrapped around a substantial wrought iron garden arch or gate and some long and heavy wooden posts.  In the process of trying to throw it over the dead hedge they broke down the hedge support posts which will have to be replaced for safety reasons.  Sadly it will take a lot of time and quite a bit of expenditure to restore  the dead hedge.

Mike and Malcolm finished trimming the meadow on 14th October so Malcolm could start gathering leaves from paths and trimming grass around young trees beside Little Hob Moor on 17th October 2020.  It was a lovely morning for the job and the bird song was exquisite.

We had a great session on October 4th 2020 with 7 GoodGym volunteers joining Louise, Lesley, Mike and Malcolm to trim about 80% of the wild-flower meadow getting it ready for winter use.  We used sheers and grass-hooks and also MCT’s 3 scythes to good effect.  We were really impressed by the brilliant work of Good Gym for more than an hour and a half even before they served up cake at the end of the session!

At our Sunday volunteer session on September 27th Lesley Abbott weeded the remaining path edges at the gaps between the path sections weeded by GoodGym on Tuesday.  Paul and Malcolm mowed the grass area behind Hob Moor Terrace houses and alongside Nelsons Lane.

We had a very useful session with GoodGym  York volunteers on Tuesday evening September 22nd).  Their group of 8 helped Malcolm.Lesley and Louise with path weeding.  Their hard work and excellent spatially distances company made for a very pleasant and helpful evening.

Strong team out on Sunday 20th September 2020.  Lesley, Paul and Adam used the 3 mowers and Malcolm used the strimmer.  Louise and Pam went litter picking.

Very upsetting to find that the young oak tree grown on and planted out by MCT behind the new bench a few weeks ago had been pulled up and dumped by mindless vandals.

Fortunately it had been watered on Saturday afternoon so with a good reeot ball may survive after replanting.

Malcolm mowed both sides of the fence along Nelsons Lane on Sunday 13th September while Pam Brown and Louise did some more trimming behind Goodwood Grove houses.

The grass and ground elder was getting a bit too tall around the young trees planted by MCT in recent years so we decided to give it a trim on September 5th.

Before (above) and after (below) trimming on September 5th, 2020.

September1st was a good day for working on the main path edges.  To maintain the path in the long term we need to control the encroaching grass and dandelions (mainly).  If we don’t do this the path gets narrower every year.  These before & after photos show why the work is essential.