Sunday 5th August 2012
Report from Peter Orme
The first Sunday in August saw six group members turn up at Biddulph Grange Gardens for the first SSNTV workday there for eighteen months.
We were warmly welcomed by Paul the Head Gardener and Big John one of the gardeners who was to be with us all day.
The work we were expecting to do involved opening up a path that had not been used for over twenty years leading to a garden feature. Unfortunately the work to restore the feature had been put on hold so the path was not to be opened for reasons we could not fully understand.
The alternative task was weeding a flower bed with a little light pruning of some willow plus mulching by the gate used by residents of the exclusive housing development next door to the gardens. The task looked small and not that inspiring for a team that had come for destruction but amazingly the work took all day. Despite John not having to use either a saw or loppers he actually commented at the end of the day that he had enjoyed himself. At lunchtime we were concerned we would run out of work but in fact were kept busy until 15.45 when we ran out of bark chippings. It was amazing how much we had achieved and it showed!
Big John and Paul were amazed at the amount of work we completed and as we had tea and cake in the tea rooms Paul came and told us one of the residents had already rang to say thank you for the improvements to the entrance.
Altogether another enjoyable rain free day with cake and friendly staff.
Shropshire and Staffordshire National Trust Volunteers 