These take place 10.00 – 12.00 on the first Sunday and third Thursday each month Meeting at the Garden of Rest at the top of Red Lees, or find the group soon after ten, working on the site.
All of the tasks we undertake will have been discussed at the planning meetings and walks around the site with Telford and Wrekin environment team, and other partners. The tasks have been risk assessed – see the details in the file below.
All of the tasks are generally covered in this list:
List of tasks generally undertaken by Pals – some with support from Telford and Wrekin Council, Jason and Mark for the Parish and other partners in wildlife and woodland management.
Clearing grass from foot of hedges / weeding along hedges & paths / Marking dog mess / Litter collecting / Clearing nettle / Cut back bramble / Cut bramble root from grass / Cutting saplings from meadow grass / Self sown saplings – Clearing / Removing / Replanting / Encouraging Heather regeneration / Coppice hazel / Cut back willow screen / Clearing / cutting fallen branches / Clearing damaged / ivy covered branches / Removing overhanging vegetation / Cutting lower branches of trees / Making and repairing Dead hedges / Cut out sycamore, holly, hawthorn where indicated in management plan / Remove laurel / Moving wood / logs / Planting whips / Check condition of paths / steps / Raking paths / Spreading fresh gravel / Repairing treads of steps / Clearing for sowing seeds / collecting seed heads / Sowing yellow rattle & wild flower seeds / Planting bulbs and plants / Installing bird boxes / Clearing pool margins / Clear plants from around pools / removing rubbish from water
Sunday 5th February 10.00 – 12.00.
We will be raking clear the paths through the site, especially the canal steps and paths
* picture looking down canal steps
Thursday 20th October 10.00 – 12.00 Top of the mound – seeding the cut meadow
At the end of the summer, the top meadow is cut – this happened last week, so this thursday Jason is strimming an area right down to the soil, and the Pals will be spreading yellow rattle seed. We collected some of this from the meadow earlier in the summer, and some extra has been provided by Adrian from T & W. The seed gets scattered onto bare soil, and walked into the soil to give it a start in getting established.
Yellow rattle is a native wild flower – the seed cases rattle when they’re ripe. Yellow rattle has the property of weakening the very strong grass roots – the weakened grass in turn allows other wild flower seeds more chance of becoming established – less likely to be crowded out by the stronger grass, and we hope this way to encourage much more varied wild flowers, and then more insect life.
Tasks for Pals on Sunday 4th September
Checking the growth around, and views from the new bench on Fens way, and in the glade.
Cutting out any small sycamore saplings, and cutting back any bramble along paths
Litter picking.
Tasks for Pals on Thursday 21st July 2022
Cutting back plants around the lower pool to open view from this bench.
Also, checking all paths and cut back bramble, gorse and nettle
Collect any remaining yellow rattle seed from top meadow, for reseeding after the area is mown and grass removed.
Thursday 21st April 22
The Pals will mainly be checking and cutting back any bramble / gorse beginning to grow over paths – especially working on the top of the mound. And cleaning information boards and Litter picking.
Also, to encourage the heather patches to continue to spread, cut out gorse and broom where it is spreading into the heather. Heather growing on acid heathland is of special importance, and we’re lucky to have an area which is becoming stronger each year.
photos show before and after cutting back the holly to let more light in, and start opening p the area near the canal, so hopefully we’ll get a few new plants and flowers establishd here.
The risk assessments for groups working on Paddock Mound have to be submitted to Telford and Wrekin Council, so that their insurance, as the landowners, covers everyone working as part of the group.
It also gives a chance to see what tasks we’re planning to do – and why.
The Friends of Ketley Paddock Mound 