Over the past year, your local environmental group, TMAEG, has been engaged in a number of practical projects, notably the enhancement of the Stone Hill pond, works adjacent to Ashbrook School, including bulb planting by school children and the creation of an all weather footpath through an area of woodland at Milesmere.
Spurred on by the success of these schemes, we are now working within the Two Mile Ash Local Park on our biggest project to date, a major tidy up of the hedgerow and stream that runs through it. While these are fine features of TMA, the hedge has become badly overgrown and the stream (known locally as the Ash Brook) has been lost from view.
So on two mornings in September (Thursday 20th and Saturday 22nd), volunteers from TMAEG and other organisations began work on the first section of this ‘green and blue’ corridor. Our partners were the national organisation, The Conservation Volunteers (TCV), Milton Keynes Council and the Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG). The project has already proved to be very popular, especially on the Thursday when our team comprised a total of 17 people – a substantial number for any local conservation project.
The first task was to clear much of the self sown vegetation adjacent to the hedgerow on its southern side which enabled the volunteers to begin the work of trimming the hedge itself. We have sought to retain the fine mature trees that form the spine of this attractive landscape feature, while selectively removing many of the self sown trees and shrubs that have grown up between them. At the same time we have kept ‘understorey’ vegetation where it adds to the variety of species in the hedgerow and/or provides valuable habitat for birds and other fauna.
At an early stage in the work we created safe ways down to the stream bed so that we could operate on two fronts – up and down the length of the stream and from above. Those working within the brook bore the brunt of the litter clearance work, the objects found including bales of free newspapers, a twisted bike wheel and the globe cover from a street lamp. But the main thing to slow progress at both levels was the astonishing tangle of brambles that has risen to the height of the smaller trees. We also encountered dead trees – usually these were cut into sections and taken to a nearby log pile, in other instances, the lower part of the tree was left in situ, if safe. In both cases their wood will continue to contribute to our environment by providing habitat for beetles and other insects, creatures that will, in turn, be a source of food for many birds.
We can all be very proud of what has been achieved so far. Work on the first 35m long section of the hedgerow is now complete and a substantial section of the stream has been opened up to view. This would not have been possible without the dedication and enthusiasm of our dedicated volunteers who have worked incredibly hard. Their work is a heartening example of what can be achieved by committed people towards the active improvement of their area and their city. But the benefits are more than environmental. Projects such as this inspire people and bring them together. They foster a real feeling of community.
Some quotations and a poem
Among the feedback we had from the team are the following:
A well organised and fun event. It was great to meet new people and contribute to an activity that enhances the environment for everyone to enjoy. We all worked hard and shared our experiences over a much needed cuppa half way through the morning. Can’t wait for the next event. Well done to Chris and Monique (Lydia);
What a perfect opportunity to make a huge visible difference to the centre of Two Mile Ash and have a lot of fun, with a great bunch of people at the same time (Dave);
If you go down to the Park today, you better believe your eyes
Some volunteers have been clearing the stream, some Gals and also some Guys
There’s lots to do, a bit of a task, so come on down just phone and ask
The more that help the quicker the next two stages (Kevin R)
TMAEG wishes to thank all the volunteers involved and everyone who has provided support in any way. We are especially grateful to Monique van Assouw of TCV for the leadership and training she has supplied, to Tony Higgins of MKC for his practical support and to the MK Community Foundation for their help in the setting up of TMAEG.
The Next Steps
There will be three further working sessions on the stream project:
· Saturday, October 20th 0930-1300 (TMAEG/NAG)
· Saturday, November 10th 0930-1300 (TMAEG/NAG)
· Saturday, December 15th 0930-1300 (TMAEG/NAG)
To book yourself a place on one or more of these sessions please e mail Chris Gossop on [email protected] or ring 561365.