In common with many organisations, the Pandemic has caused considerable disruption to our activities over the past two years. We had no sooner started our season in September 2019, than the alarm bells started ringing, and the “advice” on behaviour began to become more frequent and insistent. The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, followed by the Langdyke Trust, became nervous about encouraging groups of people to be working in close proximity, so our visits became less frequent and less productive, and finally ceased altogether when the lockdown was enforced in March 2020
Our normal working season is September to April, but as a result of the increasing regulations, the continuing caution of the Trusts, and another lockdown, we did very little work over the 2020 / 2021 season. By May things were easing, and we offered to work through the summer, but, because of the nature of the reserves, and therefore the amount of work available, only Swaddywell Pit (Langdyke Trust) took up the offer. This reserve concentrates mainly on open grassland for butterflies, many varieties of orchid, and reed beds for the benefit of Great Crested Newts, so has plenty of work to do in repelling invasive and unwanted species, that doesn’t interfere with the birds. We did have difficulties with the number of our team that were available, as they were all scrabbling for available “staycations” because of the overseas travel restrictions!
The same sort of problem is affecting us at the start of the 2021 / 2022 season, as team members are busy catching up on all their holidays that were postponed from previous years! However we started work at Swaddywell at the beginning of September, and at Deeping Lakes at the beginning of October. We are looking forward to an interesting season of hedge laying, and hedge and tree management at Deeping. We don’t quite know what Swaddywell have in store for us, but they seem to be impressed by our abseiling and ladder skills, so clearing and cleaning up the rock faces on the geology trail is a possibility!
I thank our team, who turn out on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month, in all weathers, and do a good day’s work, all for the sake of fruit cake, and the banter! The supply of cake can easily be increased, so please come and join us.
We also thank the Wardens – Dave Vandome of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, and Chris Hopper of the Langdyke Trust – who have made us feel so welcomed and appreciated at their reserves.
Garth Perry