On Saturday September 20th,
we accompanied a group of 7 enthusiastic St. Clare's students to Lye
Valley to do some conservation work. We arrived at the site at 10am and
were met by Andy Gunn (organiser of the day). Andy showed us around the
site and gave us a brief history of the area and what they are hoping to
achieve from this conservation work. After the safety talk about
equipment, we began work on the selected area. Work mainly involved
cutting down small trees, allowing light to get to damp areas of the
site with the hope it will encourage the seeds in the soil to grow. Work
also involved clearing the area of litter and cutting back reeds. With a
variety of tools students were able to try a range of tasks which they
all seemed to enjoy. Other volunteers from the local community were also
able to provide information on plants and the advantages of this work,
allowing the students to get an idea of the importance of the work being
conducted. After lunch, work continued with the students maintaining
high energy levels until 3pm when we cleared the site of any remaining
litter and loose branches before heading home after a successful day.
