On a blazing hot day, an intrepid crew from Friends Of Grove Farm and Goodgym Ealing worked along Coston’s Brook to create an access path for future conservation days. The group immediately were thankful for the cooler temperatures when working within the woodland. Forest Research report that trees can reduce local air temperatures by between 2 °C and 8 °C, so the team were very thankful for the shade and the evaporation of water from the leaves helping to keep things cooler.

Armed with loppers, hedge trimmers and saws, the team tackled brambles, nettles and hawthorn, making tough choices so that future access to treat some invasive species will be possible. Along the way the team spotted fungi (King Alfred’s cake) and even uncovered a mysterious Sainsbury’s bag full of discarded Barbie dolls!

There’s still more to do and the road to reach the treatment area will be long, so we’ll be back in June to finish the job.

Many thanks to Giovanni, Sevan, Steph, Kash, Livio, Portia and Rafael for all their help.

Before

After