Manual Labour

Machines get the bulk of the job done, but there are plenty of occasions where a spade is required. Often to finish off a field there is a metre or two at the sides that must be done by hand. There are other areas where a machine can’t reach, like in woodland or a garden. Urban areas especially. Digging down to try and find services. Either digging down and finding them. or by digging a long enough length of trench to assume that they are deep enough to miss (probably) if you don’t find them.

Depends on the job, depends on personal preference. There are ‘trenching spades’ – these have long pointed blades, which are a bit heavy but strong for levering, and there is your cheap lightweight B&Q spade, ideal if you have to carry one across a few fields. If there are a couple of other volunteers joining you, the best move is to take no tools at all, there will be plenty to borrow when you get there.

The second most useful tool is a pick for hoicking stones out of trenches.

The third recommended tool is an iron bar, 4 or 5-foot long. Again, for levering stones, but also for working your way inside dry-stone walls.

Other tools have their moments, a trowel, a rake, a yard broom, a tyre lever, a mattock, a lump hammer, a saw. A duct cutter is essential, and you want that on you at all times, also some of the black tape.

And while we are listing tools, a flat headed screwdriver for closing round chamber lids, a crosshead screwdriver for fitting round chamber lids to the side rings, a lid lifter for rectangular chamber lids.

And some all-purpose stuff like pliers, Stanley knife, cutters.

Urban areas will involve a lot of manual work. Protective duct will be necessary. And warning tape.

We have managed never to have any health and safety briefings over the 2 years. And no accidents either. But the correlation may be coincidental.

The few volunteers we had were reliable and could be trusted. If ever new people turned up, then you had to spend time watching they were up to. Only useful people are useful, but you can’t stifle interest.