Meadow Park Diary Update

October

The green climber was in the Park Tuesday 3^rd October. This is an impressive machine that is operated by remote control and can attack scrub at unbelievable angles making it possible to have a more open and varied habitat suitable for a larger number of species. The green climber cut back the scrub near the boundary with The Burrows, the edges of Stonebridge Field and cleared all of Hall Field.

Other specific areas were tackled here and there in the park. It was a busy day and much was achieved, helped by the very pleasant weather.

The work party on 14^th October mainly carried out work on the northern boundary of the park where, after a visit from the Green Climber, extra cut back of the Stonebridge path hedge, the fence line and entrance at The Burrows was completed. The Forest School area was tidied up and some random fly tipping taken away. The usual litter pick was carried out.

The maintenance on two paths in the park was completed just before the heavy rains set in and some minor repairs were needed. Funding for this project has mainly come from ELPC but we also received a very generous donation from British Gypsum Community and Charitable Support Fund. We are grateful for their support.

September

The meadows were mown on 7^th September this year and the wild flowers had seeded by then so we hope for a good showing next year.

The working morning on 9^th September was extremely how so ended slightly early. Some weeding was done in the shrubbery along with some light pruning of shrubs close to pathways and briars cut back. The usual litter pick was undertaken. The willow bed in Gibson’s Field was harvested and the possibility of a willow seat was investigated.

Forest School resumed on Monday 11th September with a full day of activities and they appreciated their new log and plank circle, which was more comfortable than the previous logs, being slightly higher to sit on. So far this year the number of hours worked by volunteers is 628.5 (as of mid-September). We are very fortunate to have a fantastic, loyal set of volunteers.

The grass in the Arboretum was cut on Tuesday 26^th September. A group of volunteers were around for the morning and rescued a number of voles, frogs and toads. The magpies came down and alerted the volunteers to the location of some of these and they were scooped up and taken to the long grass in the margins. It all served to illustrate the importance of leaving some areas uncut to enable wildlife to flourish. The hay was gathered up and taken away on 4^th October. In all about four loads were taken away.

August

Over the first months of this year Gwen Mountain has been counting the flower species in the park and the total is just under a hundred. Yellow rattle is helping maintain the flower rich grass land. The number of flowers from the sowing of wild seed in 2022 was very low probably because of the dry, hot conditions last year. However the bulbs planted in 2021 and 2022 produced good quantities of flowers, especially snowdrops and bluebells. The meadows may well have been cut by the time you read this and this year’s weather has been more favourable for plants setting seed etc so we hope for a good show of wild flowers next year.

Kevin Gibbons photographed a White Letter Hairstreak butterfly in the park in August. This species has only ever been seen in the park fourteen years ago! See photo.

Nest boxes in the park have had a good take up (as usual) with full occupancy. Over the years we have increased the number of boxes and intend to continue increasing the number as they are in high demand.

Tasks undertaken in the park in July included work on the Forest School area, weeding the shrubbery, trimming back brambles and branches and the usual litter pick.

April 2023

The brash from the hedge making was taken away and either woven into existing dead hedges or used in the wooded areas around the park. The regular working party in April had a busy time planting native bluebells and single snowdrops in Sculpture Alley, putting a grit layer under a number of seats and adding wood chipping to the entrance path on Hall Field. Some work was also carried out on the limestone bank, along with the usual litter pick with special attention given to the brook and the railway tunnel. Many glass and plastic bottles were retrieved.

Volunteers replaced the log circle used by Forest School children in readiness for the summer term. The old circle had lasted a long time but was gradually rotting away. The new design will enable the children to sit more comfortably to eat their lunch and plan their activities. Also using the log circle (which is near the Bateman Road entrance to the park) will be a new group, Tree Babies. This is a group for parents with babies from birth to pre-walking. They are meeting on Tuesday mornings 9.45 till 11 am. To find out more visit their website: www.blossomand bond.co.uk

Two committee members have worked on a leaflet about the butterflies you may see in the park. It is in A4 format folded into three for easy use and will be printed by local company Thistlebank. It has pictures of the butterflies with a little information about each one. We hope children will want to visit the park and find out more about the wildlife they can encounter on their doorsteps. Copies in Mel’s shop, the library, the Parish Office and will be downloadable from the village website (see the page minutes, meeting and reports and it is under the documents section).

May 2023

In May some of the most damaged paths were repaired as an interim measure while the committee awaits quotes from companies to undertake more extensive repairs. However, it was thought best to target the paths most in need of maintenance as the park is on a flood plain and every so often paths are eroded in wet weather.

A variety of tasks was undertaken in May included cutting the grass under seats, fitting ground grab tiles under some of the seats, moving the wood chip from the Bateman Road gate to the entrance path in Hall Field and removing the remaining Russian Vine (mostly new growth) from the Bateman Road bank. Some weeding was done in the shrubbery and stalwart volunteers continued with the litter picking.

The Forest School pupils like their new log circle, which is more comfortable for their picnic before they start work. Leaflets about the park have been distributed by the three primary schools in the village and we intend to have a stall at East Leake carnival on 24^th June. We are hoping to attract some new members.

The park looked very colourful in May after a lot of rain, with an   abundance of wild flowers. Meadow Park is certainly a great asset to the village.

April 2023

The brash from the hedge making was taken away and either woven into existing dead hedges or used in the wooded areas around the park. The regular working party in April had a busy time planting native bluebells and single snowdrops in Sculpture Alley, putting a grit layer under a number of seats and adding wood chipping to the entrance path on Hall Field. Some work was also carried out on the limestone bank, along with the usual litter pick with special attention given to the brook and the railway tunnel. Many glass and plastic bottles were retrieved.

Volunteers replaced the log circle used by Forest School children in readiness for the summer term. The old circle had lasted a long time but was gradually rotting away. The new design will enable the children to sit more comfortably to eat their lunch and plan their activities. Also using the log circle (which is near the Bateman Road entrance to the park) will be a new group, Tree Babies. This is a group for parents with babies from birth to pre-walking. They are meeting on Tuesday mornings 9.45 till 11 am. To find out more visit their website: www.blossomand bond.co.uk

Two committee members have worked on a leaflet about the butterflies you may see in the park. It is in A4 format folded into three for easy use and will be printed by local company Thistlebank. It has pictures of the butterflies with a little information about each one. We hope children will want to visit the park and find out more about the wildlife they can encounter on their doorsteps. Copies in Mel’s shop, the library, the Parish Office and will be downloadable from the village website (see the page minutes, meeting and reports and it is under the documents section).

Work in the Park January to the end of March 2023

Small working groups prepared the ground for hedge laying and dug large holes for the new trees in the Arboretum. The work was weather dependant and had to be organised around the freezing conditions which persisted in the early months of this year. Newly moved trees and spliced branches would have struggled in the very cold weather. The working morning scheduled for 14^th January was moved to 21^st January because of the cold snap. A good number of volunteers turned up and cleared Russia Vine from the Bateman Road boundary. It is an on-going job as this pernicious weed is hard to eradicate. When the vine was cleared spring bulbs were uncovered and gave a good display of snowdrops and daffodils.

By the end of February the new trees (alder, sweet chestnut, downy birch) had been planted in the Arboretum. Hedge laying between Gibson and Bateman Fields was a huge undertaking and looks very impressive.  A large number of volunteers worked for hours on this project. These hedges are making a big difference to the quantity and variety of wild life we see in the park. A fungus, the Scarlet Elf Cup, was found on a branch during the work. Our aim is to continue with hedge laying where appropriate and to manage the variety of hedges in the park sensitively. Some will be higher and wider than others.

The committee updated the management plan for the grass paths mown diagonal across the meadows. These have seemed quite wide and could be made narrower in future. The limestone gravel paths are quite costly and labour intensive to maintain so we are considering what best to do.

There was a lot of blossom in the park in March and April. Flowering currant, blackthorn and apple trees are in various locations in the park. Wild flowers began to grow in profusion – we had a very good display of cowslips in late March through to early May. Some butterflies made their appearance in March, notably peacocks, speckled woods and small tortoiseshell. Robins and chaffinches began to lay their eggs and we had several nests in the park. Typically robins lay their eggs twenty days earlier than chaffinches. Blackbirds, blue tits and the occasional thrush were also spotted. Insect life included bumble bees and ladybirds.

The existing hedges in Meadow Park

Since the founding of Meadow Park in 2002 a number of hedges have been layed. Initially Rushcliffe Borough Council planted hedges and copses in a number of places in the park. For instance Play Field hedge boundary was hawthorn/dog rose/ash/apple, whereas the hedge opposite it was given over to blackthorn. The Arboretum copses are mainly blackthorn. Hall Field hedge is mainly hawthorn/blackthorn/apple/dog rose/bramble. The Oak Meadow hedge which we have recently layed is a mixture of dog rose/field maple/hawthorn and dog wood. The Stonebridge copses are mainly blackthorn. Volunteers have continued to lay hedges (as opposed to planting them) and to maintain existing hedges as necessary and as time allows. When gaps appear in hedges we have added hazel whips. Volunteers have continued laying hedges over the years and these include Hall Field and Play Field boundary, Stonebridge copse alley, Oak Meadow boundary and various parts of Arboretum copses boundary. Our latest hedge laying has just been completed and runs along the Bateman Field Gibson Field boundary.

In November 2022 we held our AGM with the usual series of reports being presented giving an overview of the year.

Acting Chairman’s Report: Kevin Gibbons

Kevin thanked members who were stepping down from the committee for their work. The Management Plan needs updating with specific attention given to the grass cutting plan. Our focus for 2023 continues to be increasing biodiversity so careful planting and mowing is essential.

Secretary’s Report: Kevin Gibbons

Our membership continues to increase. In 2019 we had 190 members and in 2022 there were 221. It is gratifying that so many villagers tell us how much they appreciate the 44 acres that make up Meadow Park. We aim to increase our membership and maintain a high profile in the village.

Treasurer’s Report: Andy Denker

We ended the year with a balance of over £2,000. There were several generous donations ranging from £100 to £600. This has been used to buy an alder to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and more willow trees (Arch Communications). The Happy Crocodile donated £600 and £205 was donated to the Arboretum Fund. Some of this money has yet to be spent but will buy new trees, equipment, bulbs and seeds. Unfortunately, our bank charges have been increased so we are in the process of moving to the Co-Op bank.

Arboretum: Andy Denker

Regular inspections have been carried out. Excessive water or drought conditions have caused problems and the alder, sweet chestnut, downy birch and sweet plum have died. Replacements will be planted when conditions allow. (Planted in December)

Forest School: Andy Denker

Forest School returned to normal operations in 2022 with children from Lantern Lane spending Monday afternoons practicing willow weaving and den making and also learning about natural areas/habitat. Year 6 planted a silver birch adjacent to their log circle and will monitor its growth. Sadly there was some vandalism to the children’s area as six small log seats were uprooted. We are considering whether to replace them or to have something different to serve as seats. The log circle is now very worn and will be replaced in the near future.

Work Parties: Andy Denker

We are very fortunate to have so many dedicated volunteers. They work on the designated second Saturday in each month and in smaller groups on an ad hoc basis. Activities include cutting back dogwood, path/border clearance, hedge laying, coppicing, planting wild flower bulbs and plug plants, sowing wild flower seeds, removing ragwort, Himalayan balsam and litter picking. The total volunteer hours is 784 (as of early November so will increase).

Wild Flowers: Gwen Mountain

In total 126 types of wild flowers have been recorded. This is a slight decline in the number of flower species compared with precious years, probably due to the summer heat and drought. The yellow rattle continues to do its job of inhibiting vigorous grass growth. Cowslips flourished in April and meadow sweet grew in profusion in Hall Field. The mild, wet October encouraged some species to bloom for a second time.

Butterflies, Moths and Bee Worlds: Kevin Gibbons

A total of 21 butterfly species were recorded. Brian Johnson made 17 visits and Kevin slightly fewer to take this count. We are delighted to see such a high number of species. The day-flying moths continue to do well and the chimney sweep moth was seen in Little Meadow. The bee worlds continue to thrive and the flowers support lots of insects. Dog violets have been planted in a number of areas in the hope of attracting fritillary butterflies. Lastly, in the autumn we got some help in our planned hedge laying between Bateman and Gibson’s Fields as a local farmer brought his tractor to prepare the area for us.

November and December 2022

A downy birch, sweet chestnut and wild pear were planted as replacement trees in the Arboretum. The log circle was tidied up and assessed for new logs as the old ones are not in a good condition.

September and October 2022

Three trees that had died in the Arboretum were dug up. Rushcliffe Borough Council funded the use of a flail machine in Meadow Park in late September. This was through the Notts Wildlife Trust. The LV 500 Green Climber is a long range [300m] remote controlled, steep terrain mower which is fitted with a high performance flail as standard, for use on roadside/overgrown areas. As the operator is not on the machine it can go into steep or uncomfortable areas i.e. mixed scrub/bramble/blackthorn. The area near the railway embankment was very overgrown and not good for birds/wildlife so by keeping it fairly contained it is better habitat. It has saved many, many hours of work, and quite unpleasant work too. The resulting wood etc. was turned into chipping which can be used in other places in the park.

August 2022

On 10^th August three fires were deliberately started in the park and the fire brigade was called to the Bateman Road entrance. The fires were quickly dealt with. Youngsters were seen running away as the fires took hold.

There was an extra working morning in the Park on Saturday 13^th August. Volunteers put on their wellies to walk both brooks to pick litter and deal with the Himalayan Balsam before its flowers burst and it spreads further downstream. A lot of hard work was needed to clear away the glass from the broken fluorescent tubes found near the Nixon Walk entrance. Volunteers walked the park searching for other glass debris and an end of a fluorescent tube was found under Heron Bridge. Volunteers were very careful when gathering up the broken glass but there could be some fragments remaining which could harm young children and pets. Be aware! Meadow Park is a real asset to the village and it is saddening to have to report this vandalism.

New equipment

On the morning of 11th June we were able to use some new, battery powered equipment funded by Rushcliffe Environment Support Group. Over a year ago Alan Barlow applied for funding via Paul Philips, the RBC representative on the FMP committee. Conrad, Andy and Alan discussed a substantial purchase to be used by both the Churchyard teams and Meadow Park. The kit came through promptly from the Upton’s at Six Hills Farm and cost just over £1000. It was paid for by ELPC and the grant monies were then sent through from RBC.

Our equipment comprises of:

• Multi tool power head
• Multi tool hedge trimmer
• Multi tool brush cutter leaf blower
• Along with associated batteries and chargers

On a very windy day we manned a stall at the Village Carnival (June 25^th) and signed up some new members, but more importantly were able to talk to many people about our organisation. We handed out a lot of leaflets and hope that we get some new members.

Sadly there was some vandalism in the park in June. Another tree has been stripped of its bark and will in due course die. We have had to cut down trees vandalised in a similar manner and it is very disheartening.

June 2022

The work Party on Saturday 11th June was a welcome return to 'normal' as we were able to notify the whole membership and ask if they would like to join us on the day. Over the last two and a half years due to the pandemic we have been either not operating at all or with individuals/minimum numbers. A very good turnout of volunteers split into several groups and took on a variety of tasks. A local East Leake resident kindly donated trays of wild primroses which have been planted along Sculpture Alley (between the mill stone sculpture and the Arboretum). There are two blocks of primroses with a low ‘hedge’ of branches to try to protect them while they get established.

Other tasks included weaving/light pruning of the willow structure near the Bateman Road entrance and the willow tunnels near the brook. Willow was cut and added to the store for possible willow weaving by Forest School pupils. One group did some light pruning of the brambles, hawthorn and blackthorn that was encroaching on pathways and a general litter pick completed the day’s work. The pace of the work was quite sedentary so that people would catch up with fellow volunteers they might not have seen on a regular basis for some time.

May 2022

The working morning on Saturday 14^th May was mainly concerned with picking litter. The team split into two groups, one group cleared rubbish from under the railway bridge and the surrounding area and the other worked on Kingston and Sheepwash brooks.  Some volunteers donned wellies and walked through the brooks. The walk through the brooks collecting rubbish is usually done in April but was delayed this year giving the teams an easier task as the water levels were well down and wellies rather than waders were needed. In total the two teams found two shopping trolleys, a child’s tricycle and managed to fill two huge bags of bottles (plastic and glass) cloth and the like. Also picked up were two long metal poles. Other tasks in the park included work on the pathways through Gibson Wood, cutting back overhanging branches and general maintenance. Some clearance work was carried out in Hall Field.