DORSET COUNTRYSIDE VOLUNTEERS in a Contrasting Colour (Typically White) but Not the Logo
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Dorset Countryside No 176 May - July 2016 Volunteers 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: Dorset Wildlife Trust, Heritage Coast Project, Natural • DCV website dcv.org.uk England, 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 key Reaching a task . 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 Welcome to the spring newsletter, and the change from cutting and burning to more constructive tasks. You will see that for now, the programme only details the first three tasks. This is due to clients not being able to confirm dates in time for the newsletter, so at the end of May we will send out a new programme. The one thing we didn’t want to do was to send out a program with too many tasks to be confirmed. We would like to thank Richard and Peter for not only towing the trailer all winter but bearing the brunt of the task leading as well and to Chris for towing the trailer. Also a big thank you to all the volunteers who came out and made a successful winter’s work. Richard has bought new safety specs for us all to use. They are now increasingly becoming a necessity. Please, please do look after your eyes. There are also new gloves that can be borrowed. Please look after your hands. DCV cannot afford to give out safety shoes so please ensure you wear stout shoes, boots or safety boots. You may be careful and not drop anything on your feet but it’s the person next to you who is most likely to. It is said that learning new things is good for the brain as it makes new connections. So why not try dry stone walling if you haven’t already. It’s like a 3D jigsaw but with stone. You don’t have to be strong and it can be frustrating before it becomes calming. In fact any of the construction jobs will do, we have a lot of fencing this quarter, we all do a little bit and so long as we know the plan we can see it taking shape. Above all we want volunteers to enjoy the work and social interaction that goes with working as a team. This winter has seen unprecedented amounts of rain and wet days compared to 2015. Luckily most of it has fallen in the week leaving weekends with only modest or light rain. For more, see figures on the snippets page. In May DCV will once again be sailing across the sea to see our French friends in Normandy (see Terry’s article) and working alongside them on the Saturday. This now has been going on for nearly 20 years and unlike most twinning groups who only see each other once a year, we see each other twice a year. This is how friendships are made and endure. If you haven’t been before do come along and see how charming they are. So, whatever tasks you come on, enjoy the day! Co-ordinator’s report Richard Meatyard Our last quarter’s programme Unfortunately, for Peter, I was familiar with the work, clearing brought us to the end of the out of action which left him on his scrubby privet and dogwood Winter’s slash and burn season. own on a rather inclement from the steep sides of old So as we move towards Summer Saturday. The nicer weather on quarry workings. Unusually this we will be engaged in more Sunday encouraged a better site is alongside an active quarry constructive activities. turnout on this spectacular site. so as we worked huge dumper trucks trundled past raising Once again ARC heathland sites We had hoped that our visit to clouds of dust, apparently doing have featured large in our work, Kingcombe would be to continue no more than moving great loads with pine cutting being the main hedgelaying where we had been of quarry waste from one pile to activity. Unusually at Great working earlier in the year but another. Ovens we were working around due to timescales DWT had one of the large ponds left by the completed the hedge. Instead we Before I move on to other things, clay workings, where the sunken returned to continue our Upton Wood deserves a brief nature of the area around the clearance work on the gorse mention. The electricity company pond created an unusual micro- bank nearby. On Saturday with have been busy here removing climate that needed protecting no sun and an icy easterly trees and opening up more from an invasion of small pines. ripping across the site it was space. In addition to the now again a single person Saturday traditional bramble removal there It has been some considerable for most of the day, this time it was an opportunity to create time since we visited South West was Peter that was out of action, habitat piles from some of the Hyde, another ARC heathland or more accurately his car. It was arisings left by the tree site. The approach, this time, something of a relief on Sunday clearance. was from a different direction when the promise of sunshine which proved a more difficult Swyre was the first of our more brought a respectable turnout. access to find. Fortunately by our constructive tasks promised for While there was still an icy wind, second visit everyone was the quarter ahead. On this the promise was honoured and familiar with the new route in. A occasion it was a single day visit the sun was out and it was good thing as being the last to complete some repairs we almost toasty in the more bonfire task of the Winter our started last year and to make a sheltered locations. leaders organised a lunchtime start on a another repair, which bring and cook on the fire As with Newton Gully, Townsend will be continued next visit. session that proved very popular. is a hardy perennial in our Winter By the time you are reading this programmes and this one was Of course no Winter quarter newsletter we will have made our no exception. This visit was a would be complete without a visit first visit of the year to Tyneham, little unusual in that it was more to Newton Gully. However, this completed the annual beach a path clearing exercise than the time there were rumours clean and probably made at least beating back of impenetrable circulating that this might be our one return visit to the walling at scrub that we have come to last Winter there. We will have to Swyre. expect here. wait and see if ARC are Finally, you may have noticed successful in getting funding that To keep us on our toes our task that during the late spring and will allow them to do more programmer decided to spring a early summer the newsletters extensive clearance with split site task on us.