Sun 11th Oct: Bill Quay Farm. This community farm in Gateshead is home to many rare breeds of cows, goats, pigs, sheep and chickens which I'm sure we'll have the pleasure of meeting! There is also an art nature trail and lots of interesting sculptures around the farm. We will be working with Gateshead Council to repair fences and manage hedgerows.
Wed 14th Oct: Heaton Grove Community Garden. This will be the first of a few visits to Heaton Grove where we'll be restoring an old railway garden. Tasks include preparing ground to plant winter bulbs and shrubs, making a stepping-stone footpath, coppicing trees and much more. The lovely lady who co-ordinates the project provides luch and gallons of tea!
Residential Task!!!
24th/25th Oct: We're working with the National Trust to open up an area of calmanarian grassland - very rare and valuable habitat! There will be tree felling and scrub clearing galore with a HUGE bonfire perfect for baking potatoes and roasting marshmallows! Yummy! On the Saturday night we'll stay in a Bunkhouse right next to Hadrian's Wall with great scenery and a fantastic pub nearby! Perfect.
There are lots more tasks coming up including willow sculpture work at Chopwell Wood, working in various exciting locations with BTCV, and I'm hoping to organise a dry-stone walling residential..! Watch this space...
A note on residentials
A few weekends a term we go away for from Friday to Sunday evening. Ninebanks youth hostel in Allendale is a favourite,
where we join the BTCV crew for fun and frolics.
Residentials offer a chance to be more involved in a project for the weekend, but also a great chance to get to know lots of the other members, their ability to play jenga with a fish slice, and their taste in drink. And possibly other things.
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