Wild Work, Stroud

Sponsored by the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner, this cross-generational project aims to bring together volunteers from different age groups to work on conservation and maintenance projects in and around Stroud and Nailsworth.

Spring 2024: Weather woes by Tamsin Bent

Our Tuesday volunteering group, Wild Work, has been very busy over the winter, stoically struggling on through the wet and gloomy weather. However, on some Tuesdays, the weather has been just so bad that we’ve had to cancel more sessions than usual.

So far in 2024, we’ve been out and about all around Stroud revisiting our regular sites. We started the year carrying out maintenance on the willow tunnel in Stratford Park that we helped plant last winter. For once it was a fine day, and the tunnel looked really smart after we’d finished.

 We’ve also been back to Arundel Millpond, Rowcroft Medical Centre and QE2 Field, Dudbridge. At QE2 Field, we worked on a bank where we’ve been planting wildflower seeds and plugs.

Last year we tried planting plugs in biodegradable tree mats and the plants have survived the winter well and, if they continue to thrive, it might be an approach worth trying at other sites.

We’ve also been planting some more wildflower plugs, with seed sowing and plug planting set to be one of our main jobs this spring, which is such a lovely, positive thing to look forward to.

Autumn 2023: Going wild around Stroud by Tamsin Bent

Every Tuesday, me and my band of brilliant volunteers go to various green spaces around Stroud aiming to enhance them for people and wildlife.

They are a supportive and friendly group, always up for a new challenge.

Over the last few months, they’ve been looking after the wildlife area at QE2 Field near Dudbridge and at Arundel Mill Pond; helping revamp the Rosary School’s Sensory Garden; and preparing and planting a wildflower bank at Hamwell Leaze in Cashes Green.

Hamwell Leaze is in its first phase of planting and we hope to extend it in the future, but everyone has their fingers crossed for the wildflower plugs making it through their first winter, and we’re looking forward to seeing them flower next year.

Spring 2023: Branching out with Wild Work by Tamsin Bent

Every Tuesday, our Wild Work team of volunteers heads out around Stroud, and sometimes a little further afield, tackling all sorts of tasks and sites.

This winter, we spent quite a lot of time down at our new site, Frome Banks, clearing along paths and carrying out general maintenance in the Frome including teaming up with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust to install deflectors.

We created habitats such as shallow spawning grounds and built up the banks to counter erosion. We also teamed up with Stroud Valley Canoe Club to help get us out to the islands in Arundel Mill Pond, where we cut back reeds and planted marginal plants and some native waterlilies in the deeper water.

Other days included repairing the living willow tunnels in the Sensory Garden and planting new ones up behind the children’s play area in Stratford Park. We also regularly visited Rowcroft Medical Centre, where we look after their garden, and Queen Elizabeth Field in Dudbridge where we laid the hedge we planted seven years ago!

Thank you as always to all the lovely volunteers for their hard work and great company.

For more information please

email: tamsin@stroudvalleysproject.org

Autumn 2022: Going wild around Stroud by Tamsin Bent

Every Tuesday, our Wild Work conservation and gardening group visits sites around Stroud District to improve them for wildlife and the community. We vary in numbers from five up to the low teens and the group is made up of hardy folk from all different ages and backgrounds.

We regularly garden with nature in mind at Rowcroft Medical Centre and last year designed and planted a sensory bed there.

Other sites include Queen Elizabeth II Field at Dudbridge, where we’ve been working for over six years, transforming it from an unwelcoming plot overgrown with brambles to a thriving wildlife site, well used by the community.

In the coming months, we’ll also be focusing on joining up our sites along the River Frome, both helping prevent erosion and encouraging in more wildlife.

For more details, please contact: tamsin@stroudvalleysproject.org

Previously

November 2021 update

Our Tuesday practical conservation/gardening group, Wild Work, began back again in April 2021. We have been going out throughout the summer visiting our regular sites as well as two new ones and no longer have the number restrictions in place on the group.

Our new sites were supporting community-led projects at The Octagon Centre, Paganhill and Frogmarsh Lane, South Woodchester. Some of the work we have carried out has included pond area restoration, caring for and planting wildflower banks/meadows, clearing around trees and cutting back vegetation along footpaths and pavements.

At the Octagon, we cleared brambles and grass from around the apple trees that we donated, as you can see here, so it was great to help with after care.

In September we finally went back to proper tea breaks and we were all very happy to be able to socialise more freely once more.

Since coming back in April, our wonderful volunteers have donated over 500 hours to the project.

Thank you all so much.

Some history of the project

Our inter-generational team of volunteers, Wild Work, started back after the first lockdown had ended. It was so lovely to see everyone again and was great to catch up! Since then it has been non-stop.

We have been back to all our old sites as well as starting off at some new ones. We carried on with our work with Cainscross Parish Council at Queen Elizabeth II Field at Dudbridge, managing the wildflower areas and pulling out some of the reeds, helping keep Rowcroft Medical Centre’s grounds under control and looking after our trees at Arundel Mill Pond. We also helped plant the beds outside Five Valleys Shopping Centre and raked up grass to help maintain wildflower-rich grassland at Bisley Road Cemetery. And we helped with lots of tree planting!

Every week is different and full of humour and companionship and it has been great to be back.

We hope to see you at some point to share tea and biscuits!