Saturday morning, weather gorgeous, tools available, people ready.
A two, well actually three, pronged approach today, separated by geography.
Down in North Warnborough, Mike, James and John gathered to attack Mike’s pet peeve, the lovely named path 178/5/2 – or the path to the west of RMS, connecting the Street with Western Lane for those of us not au fait.
Equipped with a combination of grit, determination and armed with James’ awesome collection of gardening toys, these three smashed through the triffid-fest that blocked access. A great job, the results of which has really opened access to this lovely old right of way. Great job fellas.
Earlier that morning, new volunteer Peregrine Coles, 63 originally from Devon, went out to hack down the foliage impeding access on Western Lane itself. Doing these things solo is no mean feat, but Perry said he was just keen to get involved.
“I’ve long been a admirer of the Conservation Volunteer Group”, he said, “and have long wanted to play a part. So I’m really pleased that I’ve finally been able to lean in and help”. Well done Perry, and great to see you join the gang.
At the other end of the Parish, two more fabulous brand new volunteers, Richard and Russ, answered the call to meet at Colt Hill.
The plan was to try to clear the vast amount of plant debris and vegetation that has effectively encroached onto about 66% of the path on either side of the tunnel, effectively canalizing bike and pedestrian traffic.
This actually was a pretty meaty task – in truth, we had underestimated the challenge a tad: we probably could have used another 4-6 people. Still, using all the tools at our disposal plus a huge amount of physical effort, we think we did a pretty good job: we reckon we achieved about 40% of the task, which was a flipping good effort!
So, whilst we know we will have to return another day, we have definitely made a difference as the photos show. Richard was amazing on the Odiham side, absolutely nailing that part, whilst cheerily greeting folk as they passed. Meanwhile, Russ was a legend with the spade and sheer grit, moving hundreds of kilos of muck: he compared today’s effort with his basic training in the Royal Navy some 40 years ago.
“It was different back then….” He started, before we cut him off. Russ, the absolute hero, also brought some delicious refreshments – a herbal blend of water and hops that was very well received…..!
To all of the amazing folks who volunteer, be it for the first time, or time and time again – all we can say is thank you, thank you! You are making a huge difference to the Parish!
