Georgia Tsakiri

So… week 7, already!  This week we finished off the job in Kersal Moor. We got a great team together and hit the road.

We installed more than 25 bollards in two days, and have created an effective barrier which will prevent vehicles from entering the moor.

The pictures speak for themselves:

Tools are out, concrete is a-mixing…

One, two, three, got a great rhythm going!

And… voila! Lots of smiley faces after a job well done!

Week 6 was absolutely spectacular. Not only because of the great things we’ve created and achieved, but especially for the immense emotion we all experienced while working as a team, sharing that special spirit of togetherness and enjoying every moment while working with Gaia.

Whether it was after looking at our pretty new newt habitat at St Paul’s Peel…

…smiling after discovering another fungus commune…

…fitting a rather stubborn re-used gate and getting muddy with step-building…

…enjoying a well-deserved break in the new outdoor classroom (aka wood-hedge!)…

…or adding those two last sections of boardwalk at the Three Sisters Nature Reserve…

…none of this could have been achieved or would have impacted on us the same without the mighty spirit of volunteering and working together from start to finish!

Oh yes, we’re very proud

It’s late in the day (night even…) so will keep this short and sweet.

Team BTCV South Manchester have been very busy, and week 5 found us crafting out a Wildlife Garden, burning Rhododendron and working on the Eccles boardwalk.

First stop, St Paul’s Peel Primary School in Little Hulton. The school’s green space was looking rather tired and weather-worn so Team BTCV came in for the rescue! The plan is to create a wildlife garden for kids and teachers to enjoy, which of course will provide good educational “hands on” material. Amongst other things, the green space will host an outdoor classroom, a beastly woodland, an orchard, a “Grow It, Eat It” area, and a ”Berry Happy” blackthorn section.

We firstly focused on vegetation clearance, blackthorn removal and clearing out the abundant hay and grass. We then moved on to the woodland edge where we made habitat stacks, created little corridors between the bushes and trees and picked up litter. Thanks to great teamwork, the end results were very visible just after two days’ work! (I tried doing “before” and “after” photos but my camera’s not great – sorry!)

Next stop, the Rhododendron jungle (aka Worsley Woods). We cut and dragged lots of shrubs and started two fires. Well, the one me and Ally started only thrived towards the end of the day but we blame the lack of wind!

At least this called for a photo opportunity…

Last stop, the Three Sisters Nature Reserve in Eccles. The boys from Eccles College joined us once again and the (now experienced!) team extended the boardwalk, bringing the total to six sections – and we did it in no time!

Greetings!

Week 4 started off on a “muddy” yet exciting note, as we restored four garden beds at the St. Boniface Primary School in Salford. It’s such a wonderful feeling knowing that our work will be contributing to kids’ classes on gardening and generally helping them indulge in some “green” activities in and out of the classroom!

We had to put together four wooden frames in situ and place them on the (very) muddy existing beds, making sure these were level – quite a task considering the rainy weather! Despite the collective fatigue, we all had a huge smile and great sense of achievement by the end of the day!

Next stop: Kersal Moor in Salford – a site of biological importance which occupies 8 hectares and is unique as it’s the only area of the city which hosts heather moorland. Our task was to install barriers, in the form of wooden bollards, in order to prevent “naughty” vehicles from accessing the moor.

We started off by digging holes alongside the pavement, offsetting and keeping equal distances between each hole.

The task was spread over two days, and involved more digging, measuring, levelling and inserting the heavy bollards in the ground. We added concrete for strengthening purposes, which we mixed manually on site! Oh yes, it is BTCV’s ethos to use more hands, less machines, and do things the good old way. I bow to that!

By the way, for those of you who suggested I appear in the photographs, this is for you!

Καλησπέρα!

First of all, thank you for posting comments on my blog, and for your kind words of encouragement! It’s a wonderful feeling to know that friends and family are keeping an eye on me, so I promise to keep this blog rolling!

It’s been a short week for me due to illness; nevertheless, we were pretty busy with our woodland management activities in Clifton Country Park and Clayton Vale. I also started designing a new BTCV Health & Safety flyer, which is starting to shape up nicely.

Clifton Country Park comprises of approximately 48 hectares of beautiful countryside in Salford, with woods, meadows, ponds, a lake and remnants of the city’s industrial past. The sun was peeking a bit through the clouds which added warm colours to this cold wintry day. We started tidying up some existing habitat stacks and started a fire to burn some unwanted branches (and keep us warm!) Alan showed me some basics of hedge-laying, which was really interesting, and we focused on coppicing some weak shrubs and bushes until the end of the day – there are lots of hazel bushes scattered around.

On Wednesday we returned to Clayton Vale, where we focused on eradicating blackthorn bushes, which are curiously referred to as Prunus Spinosa in Latin. Blackthorn produces sloe berries, which are delicious, especially in the Icelandic Ursus Vodka – one of my favourites! May have to return in October, when it’s berry-picking time… Make sure you wear special hedging gloves though cause their prickly thorns can be poisonous!

We then headed to a different part of the park which had been overgrown with brambles and dead trees. These brambles, otherwise known as Prunus Fruticosus, can be a real nuisance, and you’ve got to be careful of those nasty thorns when working around them.

Let’s see if February brings us more snowfall… may have to dress like an onion for week 4!

Hello all,

A short article on my placement is featured in the BTCV News page. Check it out here:

http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/news

Hello all!

Week 2 was pretty exciting, and the snow had melted, which made it much easier!  I joined Ally Taylor, BTCV’s South Manchester Project Officer, and helped out with Woodland Management at Clayton Vale.

Clayton Vale is a Local Nature Reserve located in East Manchester and is a green space of around 100 acres. It forms a valley with the river Medlock running along its base. Previously a landfill, the area is now a wildlife haven and is spotted with many types of trees, including Silver Birches, Ashes, Sycamores, Willows and Poplars.

Our first job was to mark the weak and diseased trees to be felled with marking spray, thus making them easier to identify and avoiding cutting healthy trees. Tree felling of larger trees can be tricky, as it poses many safety hazards. With Ally’s help, I cut down my first tree, an unhappy looking silver birch. Ally showed me how to cut a “birds beak” and a “felling cut” with a bowsaw (and which direction to run if the tree falls towards you!)

Tree felling is, surprisingly, a very essential conservation activity, as it strengthens woodlands, it adds to their diversity and encourages wildlife. Moreover, it is a very eco-friendly technique, as the cut logs are used for stacking and/or hedging poles, and brushwood and excess timber is are used for habitat stacks.

I had a go at sharpening logs for hedging poles, with the aid of a billhook – the first two were a bit scruffy looking, but got the hang of it in the end! Alan showed me how to use an axe – I had a go, but I think I’ll stick to the bowsaw (although, a few swings a day can definitely help release any negative energy!!!)

This week’s activities have been very useful for improving tree identification. Apart from tree felling, we also focused on cutting unwanted saplings, and knowing what to cut is very crucial.

On Thursday we had an astonishing number of helpers, considering the cold – 13! It’s great to see such large turnout, and work with like-minded smiley eco-warriors!  We continued with tree felling but also carried out litter picking throughout the site; it was very disturbing to see so much litter in a Nature Reserve, especially when there are bins all around the area. It drives me mad, but I guess some people will never respect nature. Sad, really.

The week ended with lots of pending admin work back in the headquarters – processing new volunteer forms, projects sheets and risk assessments. I feel like it’s been a very productive and interesting week, and look forward to continuing the Clayton Vale task in week 3.

Carbonara al funghi, anyone?!

Hello all,

What a week it’s been! After a fantastic induction day by the Vodafone World of Difference team, I returned to Manchester with a new mobile phone in hand and lots of ideas in my head, having been inspired by the people I met and some of the presentations and speeches during the day.

On my first day (12/01), I met up with Katie Lowry, my line manager for the duration of my placement. Amongst other things, Katie makes great cups of tea! We picked up some volunteers on the way and headed to Worsley Woods. Worsley Woods itself is situated in Worsley, Greater Manchester, and occupies around 30 hectares of countryside. It comprises of beautiful woodland, with lots of oak, beech and chestnut trees; Kempnough Brook flows through the woods.

Our task for the day was Rhododendron control. The particular species, Rhododendron Ponticum, is an evergreen invasive shrub which has taken over the woods; its clearance is normal practice in nature conservation, as it out-competes native plants for space and resources. For our task we used saws and loppers to cut through the branches of the shrubs. We then gathered all the branches and burnt them in a big bonfire, which was a blessing, considering the snow and freezing weather conditions! In the afternoon, Alan, one of BTCV’s long-standing volunteers, treated us to some locally-produced wimberry pie and apple pie – delicious!

On the second and third day (13-14/01), we hooked up with horticulture students from Eccles College and ventured to the Three Sisters Nature Reserve in Salford. This time, our task was to build a boardwalk to help with access through the park. We started by cutting 1m wood plank sections, which were then chamfered in order to be hammered into the ground. After the long planks were laid on the ground, we nailed the treads on top, keeping a small gap in between each tread.

Considering the snow on the ground, which was a challenge when trying to keep the structure level, we managed to build four boardwalk sections. I think we did an excellent job, owing to the fantastic teamwork and enthusiasm from all those involved.

On Friday morning (15/01), Katie and I visited BTCV’s South Manchester Office in Davyhulme, where we carried out my induction. In the afternoon, we went up to Whitefield, where the North Manchester Office is situated, and I was introduced to the rest of the BTCV team.

It’s been a great start to a seemingly wonderful experience with BTCV, and I look forward to week 2!

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