Taken from the Gayton News – Winter 2020 Edition

There has been much activity in the Spinney through the autumn and the improvements programme has continued apace. Clive skilfully manoeuvred his tractor-mounted hedge-cutter along the boundary hedges and the volunteer workers kept the pallet bins full with the results of their pruning and ground clearance.

Rebecca Wheeler and daughter Arabella organised a Halloween Pumpkin Hunt for the village children. It helped make up for the lack of ‘trick and treats’.

As if by magic, fairy doors appeared on some trees, with the help of the school children. There are several of these brightly decorated doors throughout the Spinney. Try opening them, to see what’s inside!

Dave Roe has made several nesting boxes. They were painted by the children and fixed high up in the trees by John. There are 8 in all. Let’s hope they are all occupied next spring.

John Upson commissioned an impressive Bug Hotel. The school children are fascinated and we’ll all be interested to see how it’s received by the insect world. Will they move in? Will they rate it 5 Star accommodation !

Clive applies the annual autumn trim to the border hedges. Glenyss Woodcock organised a programme of wild flower and bulb planting. All purchases were sourced in the UK and generously paid for by John Upson.

Glenyss and husband Bob along with Barbara Kelso have planted 600 English bluebells in the Spinney using an ingenious hole making tool (see below) and 100 more have been potted up by volunteers, for planting next spring.

In addition 100 primrose plugs have been potted by volunteers for spring time planting. The team have also moved some native UK wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) from Glenyss and Bob’s garden to along the hedge bottom bordering Back Lane.

All this hard work will pay off in due course, with wonderful springtime displays of native woodland plants. But we will have to be patient and not expect immediate results!

Barry Steer