Longshaw Estate
SUCV were lucky enough to work with the National Trust at Longshaw Estate for two weeks in a row recently! Longshaw Estate is a picturesque area of moorland, woodland and farmland just south west of Sheffield and owned by the National Trust. On the 11th of October Mollie took a group out for a “Give it a Go” event, with 19 volunteers keen to try something different. This was run in collaboration with the Peak District Rangers, which was great to see conservation groups working together to achieve more.
Some tree-felling had been carried out recently, using heavy machinery to remove conifer trees. This left a great deal of broken branches and scraps of wood that needed to be disposed of. We started doing some clearing and burning of the debris, then finished the day setting up some piles of wood for next week’s task. With the drop in temperature heading out of the city we were very happy for the warmth of the bonfire and it was a great chance for people to experience the Peak District and have a taster of conservation volunteering.
On Saturday 17th of October a huge group of 23 keen volunteers led by Jamie travelled out again to Longshaw. After reaching our destination and meeting up with workers from the National Trust, along with some school kids who were also helping out for the day, we made our way to today’s work site.
Today’s task was a continuation of that started by our volunteers the previous weekend, but with more burning than piling, which led to some rather smoky-smelling clothes along with at least one singed hoody and even hair.
By the afternoon, we had completely annihilated all the piles in the area. Clearing the place up like this should hopefully encourage more wildflower species come next spring, along with tree species like alder and birch, which will mean a more diverse ecosystem and a prettier place for hikers and cows to lounge around in.
Thanks everyone for coming to both tasks, looking forward to seeing you again!
Jamie & Mollie (Task Leaders)
