Dorset

Countryside

No 169 Volunteers August - November 2014 Reg Charity No 1071723 www.dcv.org.uk Who we are, what we do, where, why and how . .

DCV is . . . A DCV day lasts . . .

• A practical conservation group run by volunteers • 10.00a.m. – 5.00p.m. approximately including since 1972 doing practical work in the breaks for drinks (which are supplied) and lunch countryside that would not otherwise be done (please bring your own lunch) • Volunteers are male and female, from all walks of life and from all over the county FINDING DCV . . . • Work is seasonal, e.g. woodlands in winter -

hedgelaying, coppicing; in summer dry stone walling, clearing ponds, footpath work • Maps with the task programme (at the back of this newsletter) show the locations of task sites • Organisations we work for include: Wildlife Trust, Heritage Coast Project, Natural • DCV website dcv.org.uk , Amphibian Reptile Conservation Trust • Facebook • We work at weekends throughout Dorset • Look for DCV’s yellow arrows near the worksite or the DCV information board may show an • No super-human strength or special skills needed, or attendance on every task or even for explanatory note the whole weekend - any time is a bonus for us • If unsure of the worksite try to arrive by 10.00 to and for you! meet other volunteers. The worksite may be some way off. Lost? give us a call on 07929 961532 DCV offers . . . (after 10.00 a.m.)

FOOD & DRINK • Practical care for the environment • Opportunity to learn new skills - training given • Use of all necessary tools • Please bring your own lunch • Beautiful countryside, social events, fun & • DCV provides free hot/cold drinks and biscuits companionship during the day - bring your own mug if you wish • Occasionally DCV may hold a shared lunch or YOU should bring . . . supper (aka bring a dish) when it is usual for people to bring some food to share around

• Stout footwear (steel toecaps if possible)

• Old clothes (wear layers) Long trousers and • Note: If you have a medical condition or allergies sleeves are best. of any sort, please carry a card and bring • Tough gloves (we have some to sell/lend) necessary medicines. If you wish, bring this to the • Waterproofs, sun block, sun hat, insect repellent attention of the task leader. Please complete the • Lunch and some water “in case of emergency” details at the end of the • Don’t forget an up to date tetanus jab newsletter, and bring on task. “In case of

emergency details” can be inserted into a small Reaching a task . . . key fob which can be attached to your rucksack. Key fobs are available from Richard Meatyard. • If you need or can offer a lift, phone Richard Meatyard or Peter Warren 3 days before a task • All youngsters are welcome, but should be • Lifts from Wool station (toolstore is nearby) accompanied by a responsible adult. • Travel links: http://www.morebus.co.uk/ https://www.dorsetforyou.com/travel-dorset/rail EDITORIAL

How time flies when you’re enjoying yourself, here we all are at the end of July basking in the hot sun when all of a sudden it’s newsletter time and up pops Doug with a new task programme - but more of that in a minute.

First we would like to explain why two tasks last quarter were changed. Two weekend tasks were booked on the coast path, but in the end it appeared there was not as much winter damage as first thought, therefore the work wasn’t necessary. Luckily other work was found quite quickly through National Trust and Dorset Wildlife Trust.

Thanks to Doug for arranging a varied work programme for this quarter. This was not without difficulty, including 11th hour amendments requiring rejigging the maps - hence the slight delay with the newsletter. As you look through the programme you will see that, with an earlier tantalising taste of things to come, the end of September heralds the start of the cutting season in earnest, but before then we have plenty of summertime tasks - some involving water (although hopefully not falling on us!)

The programme kicks off with an all time favourite - pond digging at Tyneham (DCV’s first visit was 1986 - were you there?) Along the way we can get wet and muddy in the Bere stream, splash about in sheepwash and finish up with a seaside paddle at Abbotsbury. Also still plenty of time for more popular pop up evening events after task, so keep an ear out for that. Don’t forget the AGM, slightly later this year being in September, it will give us an opportunity to hear the latest position regarding the Great Heath project which DCV is pleased to support, and this is also an enjoyable social evening with the all time attraction of food! Our French exchange visit takes DCV to Normandy at the end of September when Association Orchis have invited us to share and celebrate their 20th anniversary. Congratulations Orchis!

Q. Why have we added the Facebook logo to the front cover? A. Putting the logo on the front cover - and on the DCV website - lets everyone know that we are now on Facebook. A lot of DCV members already have accounts. Tony (Hogwood) has created a DCV Facebook account and this is a popular way for people to contact each other and for short notice events and task changes to be publicised. You can click on the live link on the DCV website and this will take you to the Facebook page.

More volunteers have shown interest in travelling to worksites without their cars. Tasks at Studland have seen volunteers arrive by bus from and . We’ve therefore included in the task information links to bus and train timetables and hope this is useful.

Another full newsletter for you, lots of photos and interesting articles, from John’s Wellington boots to bat quarrying and wildlife recordings. We also have a page of easy to follow instructions with screen shots of how to join the DCV mailing list - due to popular demand.

So, sit back and enjoy - although don’t forget to come out on task! Many thanks as always to contributors for pulling rabbits out of hats and to all for being so innovative and resourceful! Co-ordinator’s report Richard Meatyard

The first quarter of the The following weekend at tools. My thanks to Dave and Summer programme , it was steps and John for helping with this. coincided with some suitably cross drains as we continued The 1st of June and another seasonal weather so for the the improvement works that single day visit to Tyneham. majority of the tasks it was we started last year. I missed This time it was our more very much time to break out this task and the Orchis visit traditional miscellany of t-shirts and shorts. The lighter as I was leading the National gardening, clearing and evenings have made it Trust working holiday that maintenance tasks around the possible to arrange a few post completed the Burning Cliff farm. Just is case we might task events. steps and other improvement forget there were some steps works on the Coast Path. Firstly a quick catch-up of the to repair on the woodland two tasks that missed the last On Saturday our friends from walk. newsletter deadline. Orchis joined us for a walling The following weekend we task at St Alban’s Head. A A single day return visit to were back at St Alban’s Head report of their visit can be Studland allowed us to erect for some more walling. This found further on in the deer fencing around all the time it was to rebuild a couple newsletter. A good day was stools coppiced on the of sections of wall in the car had by all an in spite of all the previous visit. An excellent park. The first was a curved socialising and an impressive turnout had meant coppicing section at one of the section of wall was stripped outstripped fencing on that entrances, apparently and rebuilt to almost full occasion. demolished by a delivery height. On Sunday a rather lorry, I mention no names but Another single Sunday task, reduced group topped off the the message on the side “you this time at Tyneham. Heavy wall and made a start on a click, we drop” might be a overnight rain had eased by new section, to be completed clue. The second was a the time we arrived but it still on a future visit. section of wall that had made for a rather soggy start The last weekend in May was collapsed due to failing to the day. Not ideal for the a return visit to Osmington. foundations. The weather on paving activities but thankfully This time the focus was on the Sunday was decidedly it had cleared and the sun installing boardwalk over a “scorchio”. was out for the lunch time couple of boggy sections of bring a dish meal and the rest Mid June and back on the Coast Path. Heavy of the afternoon. Studland it was boardwalk overnight rain had converted time again, with a long section This has very much been a the path into a quagmire to be constructed over a quarter of construction tasks making the need for the section of heathland which is starting off with step building boardwalks all too obvious being eroded by cyclists and at Ringstead Bay. Here we and also making working walkers. A fairly massive task made a start on the new path conditions difficult. Thankfully but on the Saturday numbers down Burning Cliff. Thankfully on Sunday the sun was out were swelled by a group of the route had been cleared of and things were starting to dry NT volunteers. On Saturday scrub so it fell to us to start out, although it took an hour evening we took advantage of installing steps, grub out roots and many buckets of water at the facilities at Middle Beach and grade the path. the toolstore to de-crud all the to have a BBQ. Co-ordinator’s report cont’d . . .

The following Sunday was was a bring a dish meal in the two tasks at short notice. one of our, now rare, forays to evening, after the task, we Changes to scheduled tasks the north of the county for a cleared the two fields that are published on the website varied day at The Quarr. normally take us the as far in advance as possible. weekend. On Sunday we If you are not a regular visitor The last weekend in June was cleared an enclosure over the to the website you can make the first of this summer’s other side of the track and sure that you don’t miss any Himalayan Balsam pulling most of a third field adjoining changes by ensuring that you tasks. On this occasion a the other two fields. are subscribed to the DCV return visit to the mailing list. If you are not to sweep along sections we The following weekend and a already subscribed, visit the have pulled in previous years. return visit to the Bere Stream DCV website, click on the Sadly this sweep appears not at Milborne St Andrew to “mailing-list” link, follow the to have been done last year tackle the infestation of instructions on this page and and there was consequently Himalayan Balsam that has don’t forget, respond to the rather more balsam than was appeared here. Thankfully the confirmation email that you to be hoped for. results of last year’s visit were will receive when the apparent. With only a The first weekend in July and subscription is approved! smattering of plants found in another invasive was on the Please note: the email most locations, over the two agenda, this time that yellow address you gave on your days we managed to flowered native, ragwort. On membership form is only used complete all of the sections Saturday we were joined for for notification of newsletter allocated to us. part of the day by some of the publication. You still need to NT volunteers and with a Finally, as you read this, you subscribe to the website good DCV turnout as there will be aware that we have mailing list to receive change recently had to reschedule notifications.

DORSET COUNTRYSIDE VOLUNTEERS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING & SOCIAL EVENING 6.30 p.m. SATURDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER VILLAGE HALL

Speaker : Sally Wright from Dorset Wildlife Trust Great Dorset Heath project

Shared supper : please bring food to share and something to drink

NB : any nominations for elected officers or committee must be received by Richard Meatyard one week before the date of the AGM A Return to the Bat Quarries of

The DCV is well over 40 years old By May 1982 the project was and what we all forget is all the becoming “a hot topic” with work that has gone on before. Dorset Trust volunteers and resources from the Heritage Doug has booked a task for us at Coast Project, with Terry the bat quarries at Townsend Sweeny and Dick Burt. Swanage. A task to remove the years of rubbish, detritus and stuff Their Landrovers with trailer and Quentin Palmer guiding winch that collects in holes in the ground. powered winch brought a lot of muscle to the task. This time an Some of us oldies will remember old drum cut in half and mounted the previous times we were there. on a bogie was winched down, The first mention in the DCV filled by the volunteers and newsletter of Bat caves or more winched up and emptied into the correctly Bat quarries, as these trailer. This task had loads of are old disused entrances to builders rubble on top and Bogie with drum attached underground stone quarries, was underneath was treasure. in April 1979 when DCV worked Bicycles, car engine, bedstead, on fencing, building stone walls empty oil drums, corrugated iron and some clearing out at a site sheets and parts of a car body, near Acton. There was very little first registered in Leeds in 1935. done to protect them or the public Once the quarry entrance was from falling in. uncovered a Bat expert was sent Jonathon Robinson, Ian Cross & The next mention was in May down to investigate and appraise Judith Nall 1981 when DCV started to do the suitability of the site for Bat major clearing of the rubbish. One hibernation. Finally a grille with volunteer, Jane Robertson, wrote lockable doorway was installed. in the newsletter: “The entrance Surprisingly many of the quarries was obscured by a conglomeration had been filled up with rubbish of garden refuse, bicycle frames, only in the previous 20 years as smelly household refuse, the production of stone from etc…..and dozens of empty Bell’s underground ceased. Quentin attaching bogie whisky bottles.” In September DCV have a task Another volunteer, Carol Snell, clearing vegetation from a quarry wrote: “We got on well digging entrance. Our first return for 30 down the exposed slide. We hit years. All photos not dated are some tarmac that had been thrown from August 1981 down when the roads were built and it was difficult stuff to get through.” Volunteers working at entrance

Cutting, clearing & filling drum Barry Rowe & Sarah Williams Cutting & clearing, April 1979 Finally cleared out WILDLIFE RECORDING

Going out on task gives us the the purposes of conservation and c/o The Urban Wildlife Centre, opportunity to record some great ecology. Beacon Hill, Corfe Mullen. sites/sights and many of us take photos of some of the things we Whether it’s a toad in the back However, DWT would prefer you see – flowers, butterflies, garden, an adder whilst out to enter records online if at all dragonflies, birds etc – and then walking, a clipboard full of newt possible as they are sent straight we go home and upload our data from a field trip, you are to the Dorset Environmental precious images onto the encouraged to put your records in Record Centre [DERC] and there computer. the ARG UK Record Pool! All is then no need to spend time data entered remains copyright of computerising your records. Going out on task gives us the the recorder and is stored on a There are many advantages of opportunity to record some great central database server. The using this online recording sites/sights – and then to do intention is to capture data from system. something with that information by around the UK from a variety of adding it to the pool of data different sources. All e-sightings • We can see what people are gathered by conservation bodies will be forwarded to the relevant recording around the county in the interests of monitoring flora local recorder whether that is the from week to week and fauna for the purposes of local ARG, LRC or County • You can check to see who conservation and ecology. recorder. else is recording in your area and what they have seen DCV members are in an ideal If you are not sure of your adder • If we need more information, position to help gather this from your slow-worm, or your we can contact you by email information - recording is easy, smooth newt from your great and ask for more details straightforward and immensely crested newt – don’t worry, you while the sighting is still fresh useful. It can can download an amphibian in your mind reptile identification guide. • You can easily enter new • make a huge contribution to records as you spot the the quality of our everyday wildlife at any time environment, Dorset Wildlife Trust - • increase knowledge of Wildlife on your Doorstep - Living Dorset's wildlife and its Record Dorset Wildlife Trust - distribution, http:// Veteran tree survey • help make better decisions www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/ http:// about conservation woyd.html www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/ management. tree_survey.html • Putting local wildlife on the Dorset Greenwood Tree - Have a look at the following map Tree Survey Form websites to see what sort of • No need to be an expert - information is required. watch and record wildlife in Click on the website for: your own special places – all • Images of tree forms and Amphibian Reptile important for a variety of tree descriptions Conservation Trust wildlife • How to know if a tree is a http://www.arc-trust.org/ • Great for individuals, families, veteran organisations and groups • How to get a grid reference Inspired by recording activities of • Click on the website to • How to measure veteran their national network of volunteer Download an information trees groups around the UK, ARG-UK pack, complete an online • Information on tree tears and and ARC launched "Record Pool", registration form scars and signs of animal life a national web-based amphibian • Enter your sightings on-line in trees and reptile recording database, as a resource to collect data through If you would prefer to complete a Additionally, DWT are requesting the UK in the interests of paper record form of your sightings, and other information, monitoring native populations for sightings, contact Steve Halliwell, of swifts. WILDLIFE RECORDING Cont’d . . .

develop a tree health early Cont’d . . warning system to detect tree Dorset Environmental Records can be sent: pests and diseases. The project Records Centre • by post or email engages volunteers to play their Living record • on recording forms, Excel role in woodland health by spreadsheet, a table format reporting tree health incidents via Established in 1976 as an or a letter an app, which are then verified independent organisation to by experts. collate information on all of Please contact DERC for more Dorset's wildlife, DERC provides information - http:// http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/ an opportunity for local www.derc.org.uk/general/ learn/recording-trees-and-nature/ naturalists and conservation welcome.htm tree-pests-and-diseases/ organisations to work together. observatree-early-warning- By combining our knowledge we system/ can create a better picture of WOODLAND TRUST Dorset's wildlife - both the recent For ancient tree recording, check ObservaTREE will use the Tree decline and loss of some of our out the Woodland Trust’s A!ert app to collect reports from more spectacular species (like website http://www.ancient-tree- the public. The app is free to the large tortoiseshell and the hunt.org.uk/recording download. This link takes you to mouse-eared bat) and the arrival the Forestry Commission (or invasion?) and spread of The Woodland Trust has teamed website where you can also others (like the Long-winged up with other Government record information without Conehead and Japanese agencies and NGOs to help downloading the app. knotweed). tackle tree disease. The ObservaTree partnership aims to So, if you would like to do a little

DCV FACEBOOK PAGE UPDATE

Our DCV group on Facebook has been attracting increasingly more people requesting to join the page in recent months. This may be attributed to people seeing details of our group that I have posted on other group pages within Facebook e.g. Dorset Events, National Trust, Dorset Wildlife Trust etc. Other people joining our page may have been invited by their friends or via searching for local conservation/social groups within Facebook.

There have been seventeen unknown persons (to me), a couple of rangers, plus some of my friends and existing DCV members joining the group page since its inception. More people have been joining in recent months as the page becomes more widely known and established. Whether any of these people are actually attending tasks is difficult to determine though unless I meet them personally or they feedback their experience on Facebook. There is no cost incurred for running the page and free and positive publicity can only be a good thing.

In order to make our group more attractive to potential members, I would like to encourage existing subscribers to contribute more to our page with their photos, videos, links, comments etc. as there are just a few of us that currently do this. It’s easy to upload comments or other content by following the on-screen instructions. As administrator for the page any posts have to be approved by me before appearing. I would like to acknowledge and thank Richard Meatyard for the brilliant banner that he has created for the page.

Should you have any queries about registering with Facebook, subscribing to our page or other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me on: [email protected]. Feedback is also welcome.

Anthony (Tony) Hogwood Tony, thank you so much for giving DCV a Facebook presence. Such positive publicity is great for the group - not only can people can see what good work DCV achieves, but we may also attract new members as well. Wellington Boot Offer From John Marsh, a man who knows about comfort and boots

DCV work in some of the most hostile environments in Dorset. If you work outdoors a lot you need comfort and protection at a reasonable cost.

Wellington boots – special offer

DCV members can obtain excellent quality steel-toe-capped rubber Wellington boots at a very good price, if they act quickly! These are arguably much better and more comfortable than all other similar Wellingtons, except Aigle and Le Chameau, which are very much more expensive.

The boots are Century 4000, made in Serbia with lasts and equipment from Hunter in Scotland, but now apparently discontinued – hence the bargains. They are not to be confused with other Hunter boots, made in China and apparently of very poor quality and durability – arguably suitable only for disposable fashion and festival wear! No, these are probably the ideal thing to wear on almost all DCV tasks, especially in the upcoming autumn and winter months – and for the balsam pulling this summer!

Richard has already bought some, and John can show you sample pairs.

Sizes 3 to 5 £16, size 6 £20, sizes 7 to 13 £24; add just £1.50 for boots with a digging pad, just in front of the heel, great for – well, digging – that’s just where the spade goes.

An extra special offer if you’re quick: for Century 4000 Wellingtons without a steel insole, which the above have, but with the essential steel toe cap:

Sizes 5 and 6 £16, sizes 7, 9, 12, 13 £23.50 – these boots are a little lighter and more flexible than the others.

Chainsaw Wellington boots are also available for only £28 but we have few who need them.

Order as soon as possible to John on a task or at [email protected] or on 07710 293566.

Payment in cash to John on delivery, on task or other DCV event. These boots are at cost. No returns possible – but you can sell them on, probably at a profit! See next issue for tips on boot care from John

seasonal tips for looking after yourself on task from . . . . DOCTOR DON

Protect your eyes: • use sunglasses to protect against glare and sun • use goggles when using a mattock or pick on stony ground • when cutting back scrub or brambles, keep your head as far back as possible

Protect your skin against the sun: • sun cream or block is a must in spring through to autumn - it’s all too easy not to notice getting burnt when working • wear a hat to protect your face and neck • wear a shirt with long sleeves and collar

Dehydration: • drink more water - little and often is best • keep a bottle of water near to where you are working • work steadily and don’t over exert yourself

Attacks: • wear insect repellent when necessary • carry your own antihistamine (either as a cream or pills) if allergic to bites • wash skin if you come into contact with any plant sap to prevent blotching All About Meadows It is estimated that 97% of lowland semi natural grassland has disappeared

The dictionary definition is “ a patches should not be fertilized with piece of grassland, especially artificial agro-chemicals as this used for hay”. increases the growth of certain grasses at the expense of all other It has been estimated that by the plants, thus decreasing biodiversity. mid 1980s we had lost 97% of our lowland semi natural grassland. The Gardens are becoming important survivors are fragmented and have areas for pollinators and wildlife and become degraded with no access to Wildlife groups such as Dorset many gardeners are seeding patches meadows nearby to maintain or Wildlife Trust (DWT) and the with wild flowers or allowing patches increase their biodiversity. Nearly all Grassland Trust are replanting or of nettles to grow. They are our meadows have been re-sown maintaining meadows, bringing encouraged to be less tidy in the with more productive grasses or back many pollinators, other Autumn and Winter as this helps been turned over to arable. insects, birds and small mammals. insects and their eggs survive the The crash in insect population is winter months. In Dorset we have many types of very noticeable if one is over a meadow: water meadow, wild certain age. I remember my dad DWT run their reserve at Kingcombe flower meadow, acid stopping for petrol on long (177 hectares) in as a meadows,grass meadow, damp journeys and the attendant working farm, as it used to be for and dry meadows. We have washing the car windscreen to hundreds of years, with grazing cattle, Kingcombe meadows in the West clear the thousands of dead no artificial sprays and no fertilizers. and Purewell meadows in the East insects. When I first started driving The result is a patchwork of small with lots of others in-between. in the early seventies my fields, hedges, small woods, boggy windscreen, radiator grille and areas and meadows. In those bygone years before bonnet would have many insects agricultural intensification there on them, but these days one can were more farmers (mostly tenant drive all day and get hardly any. farmers) that worked with the rhythm of the land and change was Wild flower patches in gardens slower. The fields were smaller, and towns can be left to seed and there were less grazing animals and die down in the winter. Proper meadows had more bio-diversity. countryside meadows need DWT also has meadow reserves at maintaining and that means Corfe Mullen (2ha), Water meadows were areas of grazing and cutting. Grazing Bugdens Meadow, (2ha), mixed grassland that were sheep crop very close to the Lorton Meadows, Weymouth (34ha), deliberately flooded in late winter to ground and are more suited to Nunnery Mead, Frampton (6ha). warm the ground just enough to get downland. Grazing cattle leave a Plantlife manage Ryewater Farm an early crop of grass for grazing. longer length and are more suited (15ha) as unimproved pasture and Later in the spring and summer to meadows, having less impact species rich meadows. there would be many types of on plants. Cattle also disturb the flowers and grasses and these soil with their hooves and this Christchurch Council manage a damp would support a wide range of provides areas for natural re- acid grassland and water meadows at insects and birds. seeding. Usually meadows are Purewell (14ha) under - grazed in Spring and Bournemouth Council manage the In general most areas of grassland Summer and more intensively meadows at Iford (16ha) on farms are not meadows because grazed in the late Summer and Do be aware these meadows may they have been seeded with one Autumn, after the seed has set well be grazed by cattle at certain type of grass, or at best a mixture of and fallen. Cutting for hay usually times of the year. grasses and clover. These fields takes place in late Summer. Follow the countryside code. may be grazed or cut for silage or cut for hay. The farmers need to DCV helped in the creation of the wild maximise their yields especially flower meadow at Tyneham Farm in when they have thousands of 2012. A digger was used to take the grazing animals. rich top soil off, DCV then prepared the site and Lynda Price seeded it. There is great interest in wild flower Wildlife reserves may well have a meadows at the moment mainly combination of grazing and cutting Also DCV helped in the restoration of because of the decline in pollinating as there are less financial the water meadows insects. Many councils are sowing pressures. in 1998 by digging out the silted fields, or even just small patches ditches that help control the water around towns, with wild flower seed. Meadows and garden wild flower level when flooded in the late winter. How to subscribe to the DCV mailing list

You never have to miss out on an impromptu DCV event again

Having read Richard’s “How to join” bit in his co-ordinator’s report, you may have tried to join but some of us get lost on the way. Here is a guide with screenshots.

Type in your browser http://dcv.org.uk/

This is the DCV home page that comes up

Click on mailing list here

This page comes up

Click on this link here

This page comes up

Type in these boxes your You only need a Email address password if you want to change mailing Name preferences or delete Password yourself from the list Password

Click No here to receive emails quicker. Click Yes to batch receive emails after midnight Please put your surname as many of us have the same first name and the administrator doesn’t know who you are from your first name and email address.

Click on Subscribe and wait for confirmation email from administrator. This might take a few days. You must respond to this so they know you are genuine. Besides receiving you can also send emails to the group by using [email protected]. Only send messages of interest to DCV.

ASSOCIATION ORCHIS

On Friday 16th May we met 11 organised by Helen and ably leaves Poole at 08.30 and arrives members of Orchis as they assisted by several of the ladies. in Cherbourg at 13.45. We will arrived in Poole. It was to be the This year the main course was return on Sunday 28th September start of another memorable salmon with all the trimmings. catching the ferry at 18.30 and weekend. arriving in Poole at 21.45. It was the intention to play a few Saturday morning we travelled to games, similar to last year after All food and accommodation will Chapman's Pool for a day of dry the meal but after all the food be provided by Orchis members stone walling. It was a lovely and a hard days work in the sun but we will need to pay for our morning and my guests were up people preferred to simply sit, ferry tickets. The cost of a foot and ready quite early and chat and drink! passenger ticket at the moment is therefore we had already walked £54 but with our discount for being Sunday morning proved to be round Upton Park by the time we members of the Dorset Twinning another bright, clear, warm day. arrived in Worth Matravers. Association the costs to each of us We had arranged to meet at The wall was in need of work in Tyneham in order that the Orchis is £48.60. This figure could many places and the first job members who had worked on increase closer to the date. To secure the discount it is necessary was to decide where to start and the site previously could see the to phone a specific number.. how much to we may be able to benefit of their labours and those complete. The first job for Chris who hadn't could experience this At this stage I would like to and his helpers was to erect the interesting location. After tea, prepare a list of all DCV members gazebo to ensure the food didn't coffee and cake in the car park who are interested in joining this get wet in the event of rain or dry people investigated the different years trip. Would you therefore out in the fine sunshine. Having aspects of the village and please email or phone me, in order sorted out the priorities we seashore, some even went for a that I and our French hosts may began clearing the stone and swim We came together again at have some idea of the number of preparing a sound base for the lunchtime in the farmyard where people likely to be involved. I can wall. In dry stone walling there is we were able to gather together also provide you with details of a job for everyone moving and several tables and enjoy another how you can obtain your ticket sorting the stone, clearing the splendlid picnic. with the 10% discount. site and rebuiding. We had agreed that in the These are always very enjoyable The work progressed during the afternoon hosts would do their weekends where accommodation course of the day only own thing with their guests with is provided in the homes of the interrupted by coffee breaks an overall plan of visiting Poole. Orchis members. If you are not when home made cakes were The weather continued to be able to speak French don't worry enjoyed and an attractive and ideal. we will place you in the home of comprehensive pic-nic at one of the many Orchis members On Sunday evening we had lunchtime. It continued to be a who have good language skills. arranged for hosts and guests to very pleasant day with wonderful gather at my place where a I look forward to hearing from you views along the coast. pleasant, relaxed evening was Terry Gillott Somewhat unusually we found enjoyed. After a words of thanks that we had an excess of stone and appreciation people went to 01202 765611 although they were never quite their beds ready for an early start [email protected] the right size or shape of stone on Monday morning. but an excess. We now look forward to our visit In the evening we adjourned to to Normandy. Church Knowle village Hall We have arranged to visit on where again we enjoyed a meal Friday 26th September. The ferry Orchis visit picture page

Association Orchis visit Dorset May 2014. Drysone walling near St Albans Head on the Saturday and a visit to Tyneham on the Sunday.

The wall before it was taken down Dismantling the wall Laying the foundations

Starting to build the wall Lunch time and what a great spread With great food goes a great view

A time to relax and chat The wall is nearly complete Only the coping stones left to do

The group at the end of a hot day Viv’s unusual table decoration What a marvellous meal

More food at Tyneham farm Let’s get wet at W orbarrow bay The French admiring the old church

Let the lessons begin, the old school Relaxing at the beach Food and chat at Terry’s flat DCV SOCIALS

th On 29 May there was a good This quarter begins with a meal 13th September is the AGM at th attendance at the bring a dish with Helen on 4 September at West Stafford village hall, from evening with Peter and Lesley, 7.45 which is intended to be a 6.30. Everyone is welcome, as always an amazing variety of fund raiser for a charity called please bring some food to share dishes and excellent Hand in Hand in Ethiopia. A meal and a drink of your choice. conversation even though it will be provided at a minimum There will be the business of the focussed on local bus routes and cost of £5 any surplus will be used AGM followed by one of DCV’s the current complexities of for the charity. As part of the amazing meals and concluding recycling. evening’s activities I will explain with a talk by a guest speaker. more about the work being th On a few occasions this quarter carried out. If you would like to 26 September sees the annual there have been post task meals, attend please inform Helen on visit to Normandy to spend the a thoroughly enjoyable way to 01202 399938. weekend with Orchis. Please end the day in beautiful contact Terry if you would like to surroundings in good company. join the party.

Hand in Hand is a charity which provides food and education for children in the slums of Addis Ababa, whose parents have died or are HIV positive.

I have been involved for a few years and have visited the centre where the children eat their mid-day meal and have visited some of the local schools. The commitment of the adults working with the children is remarkable and they greatly value any support they are given.

Whilst this is not an environmental charity it does focus on the education of young children and trying to improve their future. Helen Gorman

Sweatshirts with DCV Logo

Orders ready for collection approx 30 days from date of ordering Cost only £17.50 all sizes Collared Sweatshirts available at £18.95 Most colours available Also available - Polo Shirts men sizes up XXL Ladies fit available sizes 8 to 24. Both at £13.50 T-Shirts £9.50 Baseball caps £7.95 Children sizes available on all above items Sweatshirts £10.50 Orders to Gareth Morgan with cheque payable to: Dorset Countryside Volunteers D C V TASK PROGRAMME : August – October 2014

2 & 3 August: Tyneham, Purbeck Tyneham village and surrounding land was requisitioned by the wartime Tyneham OS 194 & 195 government in 1943 for training use by British forces. Peace came but the army stayed. The area is now part of the Lulworth firing ranges. Inadvertently this has given us a glimpse into the past - of village buildings, the everyday rural occupation of their occupants and school life before the changes brought by the second half of the 20th century. This weekend the main focus of our task is the village pond. A few years ago it had almost completed filled with silt brought in by a small stream. Since then the army have repaired some silt traps further up the stream which will hopefully cut out the input of more silt. Removing the silt already in the pond is down to us. We have been digging out sections of the pond year by year to give the pond wildlife time to recover. We shall be digging out another section into buckets and wheelbarrows for those with the muscles to cart it off for disposal in nearby scrub. If we have time we shall also tackle the silt that is chocking the stream behind the old barn at the Tyneham Farm end of the site. NB: Park in the visitors car park (SY 882 802) at the end of the lane – you will pass the pond on the way in. This will be a wet and muddy task but great fun, and entertainment for the tourists too! Bring wellies and wear suitable old clothes. And if it’s sunny, don’t forget the sun cream and a sunhat.

Saturday 9 August: Bere Stream, Milborne St Andrew, Mid Dorset Milborne St Andrew OS 194 We return for one day only to the banks of the Bere Stream to again do battle with Himalayan balsam. This introduced plant has colonised wetlands across the country, becoming a nuisance in the conservation of our natural habitats. It’s only an annual but incredible numbers of seedlings can appear each spring. And they grow fast, by mid-summer easily overtopping the native plants and suppressing them with dense shade. Fortunately they are easily pulled up – though the really big ones can put up stiff resistance - and once removed that’s a whole lot less seeds to start another generation of plants next year. We shall be doing a sweep down the riverside below the village removing those that escaped attention in earlier tasks. NB: Rendezvous at the Post Office in Milborne village centre on A354 Dorchester to Blandford road for onward travel to a parking area on south edge of village between Manor House and Dairy House. If late Meet at Post Office on look for DCV board with instructions on where to go. main road for onward travel possibly to South Bring wellies for splashing about in the water, or boots for wet ground. Dairy at of village near to the And as balsam often grows among nettles or sharp leaved plants it’s best Manor Farm Dairy at Manor Farm to bring some clothes to protect your legs and arms. Gloves can be provided on the day if you don’t have any. *This is a clean boot task. Clean - disinfect - dry

Sunday 10 August: River Hook, Kingcombe, West Dorset Kingcombe OS 194 Once again we return to the Hooke to walk the river pulling up straggler Himalayan balsam plants. It escaped into the wild and has spread along river banks, into fens and just about any uncultivated ground with wet soil. A scatter of balsam poses little threat to the native vegetation. But it can grow in dense stands reaching a height of 3m during the summer months, shading out almost all competition. In habitats of high conservation value its abundance can be a serious problem. On the previous tasks here we have done a good job clearing all we can see but the very young seedlings we missed last time may be a couple of feet high by now and just right for pulling. These last two pulling tasks, Milborne yesterday and Kingcombe today may well be a deciding factor as to how much balsam will be growing next year. So please come along and help eradicate this non - native menace. Meet at Pound cottage NB: Meet at Pound Cottage at 10.00am for onward travel. If late SY 554 989 look out for our white instruction board on where to go. Bring wellies or boots for wet ground. And as balsam often grows among nettles it’s best to bring some clothes to protect your legs and arms. Gloves can be provided on the day if you don’t have any. *This is a clean boot task. Clean - disinfect - dry D C V TASK PROGRAMME : August – October 2014

16 & 17 August: Symondsbury Sheepwash / , West Dorset This weekend we have planned alternative tasks at near-by sites depending on Symondsbury OS 193 the weather. Both involve working with stone, one restoring a sheepwash, the other restoring a drystone wall. If the weather is dry we plan to be at the sheepwash on Saturday, or failing that on Sunday. If it’s wet we shall be at Work Site Swyre. Check our website, phone Richard or Peter near the time or plan your SY 447 938 journey to pass each site and look out for DCV signs. The sheepwash was built years ago as a way of cleaning the sheep before Park in Yard shearing. Now there are more modern methods of cleaning fleeces. Sheepwashes are no longer required and often lie abandoned as a relic of a bygone age in farming. The wash at Symondsbury comprises a walled hollow with an entrance ramp built into a small stream and was used to hold up the flow allowing the sheep to be thoroughly dunked in water. Over recent years we have made much progress in restoring the wash from a dilapidated state. The heavy rains last winter will have done nothing to help. We shall be re-fixing loose slabs and re-pointing more of the surrounding stonework walls with mortar. And there is likely to be yet more silt to clear from the stream in the sheepwash bottom. NB Symondsbury: For those wishing to splash around in the sheepwash it’s going to be messy. So bring your wellies and suitable clothes. Or there’s the stone and brickwork repairs and staying dry. NB Swyre: Park in village near the telephone box (SY 528 883) just off the main road and look out for the distinctive DCV signs to the task site. We may tackle a collapsing wall along a small stream. If so some of us will need to be on the stream side, footed with wellies for splashing around in water and mud. See map below.

Sunday 24 August: Symondsbury Sheepwash / Swyre, West Dorset Swyre OS 194 This weekend we have planned alternative task sites. Hopefully the previous weekend will have delivered at least one dry day and allowed us to finish this year’s restoration on the sheepwash. If not and Sunday brings dry weather Meet & park we shall be at the sheepwash (see task details for previous weekend). in village Otherwise we plan to be at Swyre continuing repairs to a drystone wall. SY 528 883 Swyre lies just off the coast road overlooking a valley divided by drystone walls. It’s a tranquil setting even on a bank holiday weekend such as this - just a few sheep, some pigs and piglets rooting about, and swallows flying overhead. The ‘art’ of drystone walling is easily picked up and can become quite addictive fitting rough stones into neat layers, one atop the other. We shall be restoring a further section of drystone wall, possibly continuing on a section that runs alongside a small stream or on a collapsed section of wall along the top of the valley slope. There will be some scrub to cut back and lots of fallen stone to rescue and sort. Then we can start on gap repairs. As usual there will be some experienced wallers on hand to provide guidance on what to do. The task is really worthwhile as our repaired wall will be seen and hopefully admired from the village houses across the valley for generations to come. NB: Park in Swyre village near the telephone box (SY 528 883) just off the main road and look for the distinctive DCV signs to the task site. If we tackle the stream side wall, bring wellies for splashing around in water and mud.

30 & 31 August: Upton Wood, Purbeck-Poole border Upton Wood OS 195 In recent years this urban fringe site has almost become a permanent fixture in our quarterly task programmes. This is no bad thing if we are to judge the worth of our tasks to local people. Because of its closeness to where people live there are probably more visits to enjoy this small area of natural greenspace than at many of our task sites out in the rural countryside. And this small site has lots to offer: a mix of woodland, some grassland and scrub, streams, and even some heath and a heathland mire. It’s the heath and mire that get our attention on this visit. Invading birch, bramble and other scrub from the adjacent woodland are an ever present threat, and if left these heathy habitats would soon be overwhelmed. So with loppers and bows saws we shall Meet & park on Pony Drive be pushing the invaders back to the woodland edge. NB: The mire ranges from damp to distinctly muddy and very wet – bring wellies if you have them, otherwise walking boot type footwear is fine on the damp parts. D C V TASK PROGRAMME : August – October 2014

6 & 7 September: Wool Tool Store, Purbeck DCV Tool Store Wool OS 194 Our seasonal tasks of saw, lop, slash and burn are just a few weeks away. So it’s timely to ensure our tools are up to the job. And the Meet & park in yard summer tools need checking over, cleaned and put in storage for SY 835 869 another year. Another vital job will be to give our trailer a good overhaul. It works tirelessly for us every weekend and now needs some tlc on the paintwork, electrics, tyres and so on. We also need to carry out some repairs on the tool store roof - a job for those with good balance on ladders and the sloping roof surface. And if we get all this done, then there is still more work to do on the yard area fronting the tool store. Last year it was used as a work site by contractors doing something on the railway. They left quite a mess. Our brick-cobbled hardstanding was covered in spoil and nothing like level. We did much to restore the situation last year but more work is required. So there is much to do on all sorts of things to keep us occupied over the weekend. As usual this is a leisurely task, with lots of chat and hopefully the sun for company. NB: There will be the classic DCV tea breaks with biscuits. We can lunch at a near-by country pub or bring a packed lunch if you prefer.

Sunday 14 September: Townsend, Swanage, Purbeck We plan to run two very different tasks on our visit to this nature reserve: scrub cutting and debris clearing. We have sawed, cut and slashed our way through scrub invasion at this site on many occasions and so this Townsend OS 195 task is nothing new. Our other task is more unusual. The debris is in a bat cave or rather down a steep entrance passage to the cave. Getting this debris out is likely to be a challenge and we at DCV like a really good challenge! The reserve lies high on the limestone plateau above Swanage. In the past the limestone was dug and mined for building stone. Now long abandoned, the old diggings have produced a chaotic mosaic of hollows, mounds, slopes and grassy flats. The limestone grassland contains an abundance of wild flowers, including many orchids. Meanwhile the old mines have proved ideal for bats. They hibernate through the winter months in the constant darkness and cool environment. At some of the caves the entrance passage has filled with stone and mud sliding down from higher up. This needs to be removed to allow better access, both for the bats and for study of the bats. Meanwhile on the surface a scrub of thorns and sycamore is seeking to take over the grassland. Despite the best effort of the grazing livestock there is a regular need to push back its advances to maintain the flower rich grassland. So we shall cut out an area of unwanted scrub which can then provide a nice bonfire on which to brew our teas and coffees. Meet & park on NB: The work in the bat cave entrance is likely to be tricky underfoot Panorama Road and needing some volunteers with serious muscle power. We could also get rather dirty. For this task do come with strong footwear and old clothes. The bat cave may not be to everyone’s taste and so there is scrub cutting and chat around a bonfire. But do come prepared to wrap up and stay dry if the weather proves unkind.

Sunday 21 September: Abbotsbury Beach, West Dorset Abbotsbury Beach OS 194 This spring we missed our traditional trip to at Abbotsbury for the Great Dorset Beach Clean. An earlier task booking took us elsewhere (Tyneham). By all accounts the winter storms (remember them?) brought huge amounts of rubbish to Dorset’s beaches. So tackling one of the longest beaches, albeit only the part at Abbotsbury, would have been quite a challenge. As we approach the autumn equinox there is an opportunity to make amends by joining the autumn beach clean. Although not having the high profile of the spring beach clean, removing rubbish carelessly discarded by summer Meet & park in beach car park visitors will reduce the amount of plastic bottles, wrappers and other assorted items that would otherwise despoil the beach and beachside vegetation over the winter months. As usual we shall probably clear the eastern side to The Fleet lagoon first and then work westward later in the day, into the sunshine hopefully. Come for all or just part of the day and see just what a strange array of discarded and lost items can be found. Can we clear the whole beach length? Well that depends on your help. Gloves provided if you don’t have any. NB: Meet at Abbotsbury Beach car park - bring your programme to show attendant for free parking. D C V TASK PROGRAMME : August – October 2014

27 & 28 September: Birch Common, West Dorset It’s a few years since we last had a task at this nature reserve in the Birch Common OS 194 remote northern part of west Dorset. The area was mostly conifer plantation which has now been cleared to enable a recovery of natural habitats. There is a mix of open grassy and scrub habitats and colonising woodland. The old site name gives a clue as to the historic character of the trees present – birch. Well the birch is back and in large numbers. Rather too many as unchecked the open habitats will disappear. Free roaming cattle help to maintain open land by browsing the vegetation. But the young birch still grow away and cutting them out is the only solution. So bring in the DCV with our reputation on ruthless use of bowsaw and lopper. We shall be cutting as many birch as possible - there will be plenty left to maintain the birch character of the common. Their remains we shall burn on a hot bonfire. NB: Meet at the north gate entrance. If the weather is good there will Meet & park at be an opportunity for a BBQ after the task on Saturday using the hot gate entrance fire coals. Look out for an email or contact Richard or Peter closer to ST 511 072 the date for the latest situation.

Sunday 5 October: Wytch Moor, Purbeck Wytch Moor OS 195 This is the first in a series of tasks this autumn that take us into the conifer plantations on the south side of . Hidden among these plantations is Britain’s largest on-shore oil field. ‘Nodding donkeys’ pump slowly day and night bringing oil from wells drilled out to sea, deep underground. Also hidden among the plantations are areas of heathland, remnants of the vast heath that once stretched across this part of Purbeck from Studland Bay in the east to Wareham Meet and park on and beyond in the west. Parts of this heathland remain along the track verge valleys where the ground was just too difficult to establish as SY 981 839 plantation. Last year we started work near the head of this valley, cutting out self-sown pine and leggy gorse along a strip of land between maturing plantation and a very wet mire in the valley bottom. This year we hope to complete the job. It may be too risky to burn the results of our cutting effort at this time of year. Instead we shall be stacking the pine and gorse on the plantation edge for burning on a return task later in winter. There will of course be hot drinks provided by our stove and plenty of time to enjoy the quiet remoteness of the task site and catch up on gossip. NB: Wellies will be useful on the wetter ground but working boots should be fine elsewhere. If coming late look out for DCVs yellow arrows pointing the way to the parking area on a track verge and the task site further along the track beyond the plantation pines.

11 & 12 October: Fontmell Down, North Dorset This task takes us to the high scarp of the Wessex Downs in the north of Fontmell Down OS 183 the county. Here the chalkland drops abruptly to the Blackmore Vale along a north curving arc dissected by deep dry valleys and rising to the high promontory of Melbury Hill. On a clear day the view west goes on forever. The incredibly steep slopes defied attempts at agricultural improvement and they have retained some of the finest chalk grasslands in Dorset. They are grazed by cattle and also sheep to keep the grass sward in suitable condition for chalkland plants and wildlife. But thorn scrub also grows and tends to be avoided by the livestock. Scattered Meet at N.T. Car park patches of small scrub provide shelter for insects and cover for downland ST 886 187 birds. Larger areas are less welcome as their growth shades out and replaces the grassland habitat so important for many of the chalkland species. We shall be cutting back a large area of unwanted scrub that has grown up on one of the steeper slopes. There will be the challenge of finding a level area for the bonfire, and for enjoying our mugs of tea and coffee while admiring the countryside views beyond. NB: Meet at the National Trust car park; we may move on from here to another part of the reserve, so look out for the DCV sign board with directions. Bring stout shoes for tramping over the steep ground. D C V TASK PROGRAMME : August – November 2014

18 & 19 October: Goathorn Peninsula, Purbeck This task takes us back to the conifer plantations on the southern side Goathorn OS 195 of Poole Harbour. The peninsular juts toward the harbour islands and from the shore there are picturesque views of land and water. Hidden among the tall conifers, and seemingly quite out of place, there are industrial looking compounds quietly extracting and processing oil from deep underground. Within the plantations there is a scatter of open areas with heathy vegetation. These are important for the charismatic heathland species such as Dartford warbler and sand lizard. But this open heath is easily invaded by young pine from the plantation trees. And the gorse needs to be cut periodically to maintain it as a scatter of dense bushes among the heather, ideal for invertebrates and for the warblers. So we shall be working through Meet at Norden open areas, cutting out invading pine and cutting back old ‘leggy’ Park & ride gorse to encourage the bushy re-growth. There will be no bonfire. Think about it – fire, dry heath and pines, and all that oil nearby! The site is very sheltered, a hot suntrap in the summer. So hopefully with good weather we can enjoy the last of the autumn’s warmth. NB: We may be required to sign in at the site control centre. Try to arrive by 10.00am at the Norden rendezvous for onward travel to the centre and then the task site. If late make your way to the task site via Rempstone Farm along forestry tracks – we will try to get some DCV arrows in place to mark the route.

Sunday 26 October: The Quarr, , North Dorset The Quarr OS 183 As the name suggests this is quarry site, but now long disused. The bottom of the quarry was filled, then capped over and landscaped with woodland tree planting and grassland. The outline of the old quarry can still be traced through the woodland and along the sloping grassland. One part overlooking the quarry bottom meadow has survived as a limestone cliff and provides an important insight into the geology of the area. More recently the site was declared as a Local Nature Reserve owing to its value as a greenspace on the edge of Sherborne, easily accessible for quiet enjoyment of a natural environment. It’s managed by a local Friends group and for some years we have been helping out on seasonal tasks. This autumn there is a plan to start coppicing some of the planted woodland. Cutting selected parts, such as Meet & park at those with hazel, will allow in more sunlight for woodland plants, the Quarr and the regrowth will diversify the woodland structure and vegetation. So we shall be helping the Friends with our skills using bowsaws and loppers. We cannot have a bonfire due the urban location, but hopefully the weather at this time of year will be pleasant enough not to miss the warming flames. Our trusty stove will provide hot drinks, and lots of friendly banter can be expected through the day.

1 & 2 November: Newton Gulley, Purbeck We could probably have all our tasks cutting pine at this Newton Gully OS 195 heathland site and there would still be many more left to cut. For here there is pine invasion on a mega scale. The site covers a wide area cleared of plantation pine some years ago to restore the original heathland. The heathers came back but so did thousands of young pine. Over the years we have been steadily clearing back this invasion, concentrating around the Meet & park slopes of a deep gulley. The slopes are sheltered and with a On trackside cover of heathers and patches of bare ground they are ideal for SZ 005 848 sand lizards and heathland invertebrates. We shall use our ruthless skills with bowsaw and lopper to push the pines back even further. Their remains we shall burn on a huge bonfire, free heat on which to boil our kettles for charcoaled flavoured teas and coffees. NB: The route to this task is well off the signed road. Rendezvous at Rempstone Farm crossroad (shown on map), to leave soon after 10.00 am in convoy through the plantation to the task site. Latecomers should look out for our yellow DCV signs at track junctions. D C V DIARY August – November 2014

DATE TASK SITE CLIENT WORK

2 & 3 August Tyneham, Purbeck MoD, Tyneham Farm Pond & various tasks Project

Saturday 9 August Bere Stream, Milborne St Dorset Wildlife Trust Pulling Himalayan Balsam Andrew, Mid Dorset

Sunday 10 August Hooke River, West Dorset Dorset Wildlife Trust Pulling Himalayan Balsam

16 & 17 August Symondsbury Sheepwash Private Sheepwash maintenance/ or Swyre, West Dorset (Check with website/Peter/ dry stone walling Richard) Sunday 24 August Symondsbury Sheepwash Private Sheepwash maitenance/ or Swyre, West Dorset (Check with website/Peter/ dry stone walling Richard) 30 & 31 August Upton Wood, Purbeck District Council Scrub cutting Purbeck-Poole border

Thursday Meal at Helen Gorman’s Charity fund raiser for Phone Helen to book 4 September 7.45 p.m. Hand in Hand in Ethiopia 6 & 7 September Wool Tool Store, Purbeck DCV Tool store maintenance

Saturday 13 DCV AGM & Social 6.30 p.m. West Stafford Please bring a dish for September Evening Village Hall shared supper + a drink

Sunday 14 Townsend, Swanage, Dorset Wildlife Trust Bat mining & scrub cutting September Purbeck

Sunday 21 Abbotsbury Beach, West Beach clean September Dorset

27 & 28 September Birch Common, Dorset Wildlife Trust Cutting birch West Dorset

Thursday 2 Planning Meeting 7.45p.m. At Viv’s October

Sunday 5 October Wytch Moor, Purbeck Private Cutting pine and gorse

11 & 12 October Fontmell Down, North Dorset Wildlife Trust Scrub cutting Dorset

18 & 19 October Goathorn Peninsula, Private Pine and gorse cutting Purbeck

Sunday 26 October The Quarr, Sherborne, Friends of The Quarr Hazel coppicing North Dorset

1 & 2 November Newton Gulley, Purbeck Amphibian Reptile Pine cutting Conservation DCV mobile: 07929 961532 (task hours)

Keep a note of the DCV mobile phone number - a task may have to be cancelled at the last minute, or may have to finish early, e.g. in adverse weather conditions. If coming out later in the day, phone to check the task is still running.