Four hardy Marks and Spencer employees from our local store in Ashbourne took time out from their busy schedules to volunteer for a day with the National Trust. Little did they realise how steep the banks would be when they signed up for the day…
The walk down to Hubert’s bank, our work site for the day gave them a taste of the landscape. Passing by the site where Jacobs Ladder grows freely they learned about how we manage the area to encourage the rare plants such as Jacobs Ladder and the associated problems this causes. Limiting grazing on the grass and scree slopes stops the flowers being eaten but allows scrub to develop and that was their task for the day – removing the ash scrub that has developed along the bank.
Despite the imposing banks, Peter, Clair, Becky and Andrea really got stuck in and we cleared an impressive amount.
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| Before and after - one of the areas cleared |
By the end of the day nobody needed to go to the gym and everybody needed a long cool drink.
Thanks to the M&S group and I hope to see you all again next year.
Mark Cunningham - Warden
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