Photo Gallery

Holywell Cemetery, managed for wildlife...

...and a haven of tranquility for quiet contemplation.

Each mid-winter we clear some of the brambles between the memorials...

Jerry gets everyone's attention with some mince pies

Clearing reeds and reshaping the pond

Looks messy but will hopefully help the frogs and toads that use the ponds when breeding.

Planting shrubs to help protect the Kingfisher bank (Courtesy of Alan Allport, Friends of The Trap Grounds)

Tea break (Courtesy of Alan Allport, Friends of The Trap Grounds)

Tea break for some very wet volunteers

Raking up and removing cut vegetation

The hedge at the beginning of the day

Removing excess scrub

Dinner on the campfire

Today we're helping the Friends of the Trap Grounds once again.

The main lake is in danger of filling entirely with reeds, so we're clearing some out.

Testing the waters.

Today we're working in a beautiful chalk grassland coomb with a view

The rarer chalk grassland plants are being choked by Tor grass

Tor grass is unpalatable to livestock, so we're clearing it with grass hooks

Since our last visit the Kingfisher bank shuttering has been backfilled with earth...

... and an attractive pond excavated by digger.

The sides of the pond are however a bit regular and steep ...

Today we are helping to clear the pretty stream running through the Waterways wildlife corridor

A very good turnout from OCV and local residents

The stream has become clogged with vegetation ...

Today we're helping the friends of St. Mary's Field ...

... with raking the hay meadow

The hay is piled in the undergrowth, as habitat and hibernacula for reptiles, amphibians, mammals and invertebrates

Return to Ibstone to dig more Hawthorns and pull Ragwort

Tool talk

Orchids now over but still many flowers, like Wild Parsnip ...

Post Hole

Mick, don't look

Bucket with a view

We're helping the Friends build a Kingfisher bank

Area in front will be dug out to make a deep pond, the soil will be used to make a near vertical bank

Today's task is to put up temporary shuttering to support the soil until it has stabilised

The view ...

... and the chalk grassland meadow we are helping to conserve ...

... with common spotted orchid ...

The churchyard wall at lunchtime, with walnut tree

The back wall of the churchyard

Taking a well earned rest

Starting to rake the south fen

Snapping reeds on the south fen

Volunteers taking a break

Work on the first stretch of wall

First stretch of wall

Telegraph poles are remarkably heavy to carry...

...but luckily there are lots of OCVers here to move this one

In the foreground everyone is busy digging holes for posts. In the background four lucky volunteers are out on boats, pulling reeds

At the Grey Mare's Tail

The start point for our walk

That is the Grey Mare's Tail - it's a waterfall you see, not a tail.

The weather today looks less promising!

The first of several warnings

Striking out

Setting off

Our first view of Carrifran

The viewpoint

View from the hill above our hall

Near the hall

Our lovely abode is at the bottom right

Toad in the hole

Beginning of the day

Collapsed wall being dismantled and graded

OCV's task today is to restore this heap of stone to its former glory as a dry-stone wall

First job is to get rid of encroaching brambles

Next the stones are laid out by size - already things are looking more organised!

Planning the next visit

Starting the fire

Feeding the fire

Precarious positions #1

Pollarding a young willow

Cultivate + OCV = a volunteer army

Mulch ado

A watched pot never boils

A frosty and damp start

A barrier made from brash and a log pile for invertebrates

Building a new set of steps

Cutting up felled trees to create habitat piles