The continued good
weather through April has been kind to us and enabled us to complete the
hedge pruning between the Canalside Park and Tuckmill brook. Hopefully that
will be enough to see us through till the autumn. We are hoping to carryout
some hedge-laying along this section in the autumn/winter as the hedge is
now sufficiently mature enough. Any assistance in this project would be
really appreciated. By laying this hedge properly, lovely views of the White
Horse and the Lambourn Downs will become visible from the towpath. Branch
members have also cleared the dangerous fallen tree that was across the
Cemetery Path, and was brought down during the winds last November.
Background work has been
ongoing to progress our project to culvert Tuckmill Brook next year. In
April we have had two habitat surveys carried out to seek evidence of Water
Voles and White Clawed Crayfish in the brook itself in the area of the
proposed work. The results of these surveys will be available by early May.
In all our restoration work, we are careful to preserve and, where possible,
improve the natural habitat for the local plants and animals. The surveys
are being carried out by staff of the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT).
The costs for these two professional studies will total around £700 and
will be met by our Branch general funds (which are now looking somewhat
depleted).
Work at Steppingstone
Lane Bridge has slowed a little this last month due to some spring illnesses
amongst our work party members (none of us are getting any younger!).
Hopefully we will increase momentum again in May. The good news is that we
have secured £3,500 of funding from The Tanner Trust for this project. This
will go a long way to purchasing some of the necessary bricks needed to
restore this bridge.
On a different note,
those eagle-eyed amongst you may notice below that we have changed our
web-site address. This was due to completely filling the space donated by
our previous host. The amount of information and pictures on our site
increases monthly and is well worth a visit for those of you with internet
access.
For
more information or to volunteer assistance please come along to one of our
meetings held in the Shrivenham Bowls Club, Martens Road, on the second
Wednesday of every month at 8 p.m. You will be made very welcome. For those
with a computer and Internet access please visit our Branch Web Site at www.westvalecanal.org.uk.
Orph
Mable - Branch Project Co-ordinator