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Task Programme
These are our forthcoming events. Details of pick up times and locations are on our FAQ and we send out an email during the week before each task on our Mailing List. For any other questions please contact 
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We've recently done fencing, hedge-laying and coppicing on this small but varied woodland site in Headington, Oxford. Today we're returning to build some small pontoons to give access to a pond, as well as clearing scrub from the edge of a small meadow. Since this is an education centre for schoolchildren from Birmingham, there is no public access, so if you're curious to have a look round you'll have to come on an OCV task here! | | Leader: Tim Evans | Driver: Tim Howard |
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OCV's committee meets once a month to make sure that the group operates smoothly. If you'd like to come along and see how we run things, please feel free to join us. Alternatively, we'll be in Far from the Madding Crowd (a pub in Friar's entry, near Borders) from about 9pm. | |
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This week we're at one of our most regular sites in the Chilterns. It's a National Nature Reserve with spectacular views over Oxfordshire from the chalk grassland slopes and we'll be working with one of the Natural England wardens. We're not sure what the work is yet, but it might be fencing or looking after the flock of sheep. | |
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This is a lovely nature reserve in North Oxford with woodland, grassland and ponds. We helped out in Winter with some rubbish clearing and scrub bashing. Now we're going back to help clear some invasive Golden Rod and bramble and to hang some bird nesting boxes in the trees. | |
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This is a new site for us. It's an area of National Trust woodland around a traditional duck decoy. There used to be hundreds of duck decoys in England but this is one of the few remaining. Come along and find out all about it, free admission for us of course! We've got a very varied list of tasks, including path repair, scrub bashing, repainting a hide and repairing some fences and bridges. | | Leader: Chris Skepper | Driver: Jo Gay |
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This is the second day of pond training from pond expert Rod d'Ayala. The first was in Oxford in June, this is a different sort of site, but equally interesting. We'll be finding out about pondlife, and learning pond conservation and management techniques. Expect to do a bit of fishing around, to learn a lot and, above all, remember bring your wellies! **Booking will be required for this day.** | |
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Armed with what we learnt from yesterday's training day, we'll be carrying out recommendations for maintaining and conserving the area around this interesting pond. Expect some hard work, possibly including a bit of digging. Wellies may well be useful! | |
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Working with Oxford City Council's wardens we will be raking the fen, soon after it's been mowed. This is a traditional management practice and helps to maintain the botanical richness of the fen and maintain the habitat for birds. It should be nice summer work, especially if the weather is good. | | Leader: Naomi Berger | Driver: Matt Cardy |
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This week we're at one of our most regular sites in the Chilterns. It's a National Nature Reserve with spectacular views over Oxfordshire from the chalk grassland slopes and we'll be working with one of the Natural England wardens. We're not sure what the work is yet, but it might be fencing or looking after the flock of sheep. | |
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The first of a meadow maintenance double-bill this weekend. Today we'll be pulling ragwort from this site in West Oxford. This means the City Council can fulfill its obligations to its neighbours without damaging mowing. We'll also remove some self-seeded saplings to stop the valuable grassland being invaded by scrub. It's also a chance to look at how the recently-laid hedge on this site is doing in Summer. | |
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Another area of meadow today. With our slashers and sickles sharpened we'll be heading down to the Thames near Iffley to attack the sedgy grass on this Oxford Preservation Trust site. The "island" is between the river and some narrow boat moorings and owes its status as a SSSI to the presence of rare wildflowers. We cut the grass twice last year to try to bring it back into the cycle of annual grass cutting that a site like this needs. | |
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We return to Swanage in Dorset and the lovely Durlston Country Park high up on the cliffs. We'll be drystone walling as in previous years and possibly doing some meadow maintenance as well this time. We go out on the Friday evening and come back on Bank Holiday Monday evening, giving us two days working and one for a walk or games on the beach. **Booking required, more details sent to OCV members nearer the time.** | |
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We return to Swanage in Dorset and the lovely Durlston Country Park high up on the cliffs. We'll be drystone walling as in previous years and possibly doing some meadow maintenance as well this time. We go out on the Friday evening and come back on Bank Holiday Monday evening, giving us two days working and one for a walk or games on the beach. **Booking required, more details sent to OCV members nearer the time.** | |
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We return to Swanage in Dorset and the lovely Durlston Country Park high up on the cliffs. We'll be drystone walling as in previous years and possibly doing some meadow maintenance as well this time. We go out on the Friday evening and come back on Bank Holiday Monday evening, giving us two days working and one for a walk or games on the beach. **Booking required, more details sent to OCV members nearer the time.** | |
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We return to Swanage in Dorset and the lovely Durlston Country Park high up on the cliffs. We'll be drystone walling as in previous years and possibly doing some meadow maintenance as well this time. We go out on the Friday evening and come back on Bank Holiday Monday evening, giving us two days working and one for a walk or games on the beach. **Booking required, more details sent to OCV members nearer the time.** | |
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Last time we went to Stowe we had an insider's tour of the landscape gardens conducted by those responsible for maintaining them. This time working for the National Trust near the site of their new visitor centre at Stowe we'll be helping with some fencing. The work will be part of a programme of habitat creation around this part of the site. A chance to take part in the early stages of a very worthwhile project. | |
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This week we're tidying up this overgrown lane in the village of West Hagbourne, near Didcot. The aim is to improve the wildlife value of the area by clearing some of the overgrown scrub, whilst leaving the valuable ditches and plenty of dead wood for invertebrates. We'll also be planting some new hedge plants to fill in the gaps. So it should be a varied day's work with something for everyone. | |
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This week we're at one of our most regular sites in the Chilterns. It's a National Nature Reserve with spectacular views over Oxfordshire from the chalk grassland slopes and we'll be working with one of the Natural England wardens. We're not sure what the work is yet, but it might be fencing or looking after the flock of sheep. | |
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Earlier this year we did a fair amount of scrub clearing on this woodland and fen site overlooking west Oxford. Now we're returning to remove some more of the encroaching willows to further protect the fenland. We've also got a stream to unblock and some gate and fence alterations, so there should be plenty of valuable work for everyone to do. There will be probably be a good bonfire too. | |
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