Mike and Malcolm managed to finish strimming the grass beside Nelsons Lane on June 28 and rake up the cut material for composting elsewhere on site.

Still no rain on Saturday morning (June 25), but at least it was cool enough in the shade to spend 2 pleasant hours reducing the velcro plants, docks, nettles, brambles and excess buttercups that were starting to starve some of our recently planted shrubs of water and light.

Malcolm went out for an hour and a half of strimming at just after 9.30 on Friday before it got too warm, cutting back grass that was taking much-needed water from round young trees and shrubs.

Sad to see one of the MCT information boards vandalized on 16th June. We’ll attempt to fix it for now as a replacement costs almost £1000.

Really warm on June 16 but Malcolm managed an hour of cutting down nettles and brambles about 4 feet tall growing against the fences of 3 or 4 Hob Moor Terrace houses.

Kathryn noticed a pair of large willow branches that had broken off of a crack willow at the N end of the site, overhanging an adjacent property.. She later came out with Mark and Louise to help reduce the overhang to a safer level. We’ll try to cut the remainder down later in the week.

On Tuesday 7th Lesley, Paul and Malcolm carefully re-laid the 4 paving slabs someone had deposited on the grass in front of one of the MCT benches beside the path. This was necessary because they were protruding over the grass edge and nowhere near level, posing a trip risk. They were re-laid at a better depth over a double weed barrier and horticultural sand. It disturbed an ants nest, not surprising as the slabs had just been dumped on the surface.

Testing the re-laid slabs. Lesley also managed an hour of mowing.

Malcolm managed a 3-hour session on Thursday 2nd June, mainly mowing but some nettle reduction.