Volunteer Newsletter for the North

Brickfields Pond

Volunteers cleared the black thorn and bramble along the southern footpath and opened new viewpoints to the pond. The offcuts were used to build new habitat piles which will help biodiversity growth. Volunteers also started to clear a new area at the northern side of the nature reserve where historically there were Water Voles, new habitats piles were created, and we are planning to plant more vegetation beneficial for the Voles. 

Creepy Coed y Morfa

On Tuesday 31 October, volunteers made their own spooky spiders at Coed Y Morfa with coppiced hazel. A variety of tools were used to shape the body, and other wood species to make the legs and fangs. Coppicing is a traditional technique for woodland management, involving cutting trees repeatedly at the base over time to create a coppice stool. The regrowth comes through much straighter than the original growth and can be harvested in cycles depending on what the wood will be used for, providing a sustainable wood source. Managed in this way, coppiced species can live for hundreds of years. The small leaved lime at the Forestry Commission’s National Arboretum in Westonbirt which is still managed via coppicing is thought to be around 2000 years old!

Of course, spiders are not just for Halloween. In the UK we have over 660 different species of spider. They play an incredibly important role in the ecosystem, providing food for a wide variety of animals, whilst also consuming a variety of flies and insects themselves. They are especially important when it comes to controlling pest species and keeping pest related diseases under control. We will have some Nature for Health funded woodworking/craft sessions coming soon, so be sure to check the following timetable and volunteer calendars.

Climate Change Sites, Sustainable approach to Mulching

As part of our woodland creation scheme. We will be planting trees on several new sites across north Denbighshire. When we plant trees, we traditionally add a layer of mulch to provide nutrients and hold moisture for the sapling while it gets established. In an ongoing effort to find more eco-friendly and carbon neutral ways to go about our work, we have chosen to trial the use of sheep fleece as a replacement for mulch. Fleece is a readily available, local material that releases nitrogen into the soil as it biodegrades and will do a great job of holding moisture in the soil around our trees. To secure the fleece in place, we will be creating simple wooden pegs. As you can imagine, we will need rather a lot so please join us at the Willow collective in Rhyl on 8 December to sharpen and shape our fleece pegs.

Coastal Volunteering Updates

Volunteers have been helping to improve signage along the Wales Coast Path by installing new posts and waymarker discs. In November, non-slip strips were added to the new path infrastructure at Barkby by volunteers. We’ve also been doing some scrub clearance on the dunes at Tower Beach, Barkby and on the Gronant pony paddock.

There are more coastal opportunities to volunteer included in the below timetable.

Volunteer Timetable for the North - December/January

MEETING PLACE	TASG	TIME AND DATE	LEAD OFFICER
Brickfields Pond, Rhyl	Working on the Boardwalk	Thursday, 21 December	Vitor Evora vitor.evora@denbighshire.gov.uk
Barkby Beach car park, Prestatyn	Dune scrub clearance	Monday, 8 January                  10am - 3pm	Claudia Smith claudia.smith@denbighshire.gov.uk
Bodelwyddan Castle - Lower car park	Building bird boxes	Wednesday, 10 January          10am	Richard Masson richard.masson@denbighshire.gov.uk
Coed y Morfa, Prestatyn	Wattle fencing	Tuesday, 16 January              10am - 1pm	Sasha Taylor sasha.taylor@denbighshire.gov.uk
Brickfields Pond, Rhyl	Water Vole habitat work	Thursday, 18 January            10am - 3pm	Vitor Evora vitor.evora@denbighshire.gov.uk
Rhuddlan Nature Reserve car park	Hedge laying	Friday, 19 January                  10am - 3pm	Jim Kilpatrick jim.kilpatrick@denbighshire.gov.uk
Bruton Park - Maes Menlli Gateway	Elm Regeneration Tree Gudards	Tuesday, 23 January              10am - 3pm	Sasha Taylor sasha.taylor@denbighshire.gov.uk
Brickfields Pond, Rhyl	Hedge laying	Thursday, 25 January              10am - 3pm	Vitor Evora vitor.evora@denbighshire.gov.uk
Ysgol Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd - entrance gate	Hedgerow Planting	Friday, 26 January                10am - 3pm	Matt Winstanley matt.winstanley@denbighshire.gov.uk