Shropshire and Staffordshire National Trust Volunteers

Workday leader Leela describes a day in the sunshine on the Shugborough Estate:

Last Sunday saw a merry band of twelve SSNTV volunteers and two new visitors making the most of the single work weekend between two bank holidays to enjoy the lovely temperatures and take on a slightly unusual task for the Group at Shugborough, namely preparing some 800m² of ground for sowing wildflower seeds.

We started the morning at the Pleasure Grounds by the Cats Monument, an area subject to frequent flooding from the nearby river Sow which has therefore largely remained uncultivated. The team now hope to transform this into a bright and beautiful wildlife-friendly area. However before the seeds could be sown, the ground needed to be prepared to make it level and create a good tilth (that’s a fine top surface for the uninitiated!). Of course our volunteers and two visitors, Joel and Kate (out as part of Joel’s DofE), were more than up to the task, finishing that section by mid-morning soon after cake o’clock.

The wildflower seeds are somewhat special, having been bought through a donation from the Stafford NT Association together with a grant from the Sow & Trent Environmental Enhancement Fund. They are a mix of varieties including meadowsweet, teasel, lupin, corn marigold, yellow rattle and wild carrot which it is hoped will attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies  and other wildlife.

We moved on from the Cats Monument to Lady Walk where the rhodedendron ponticum that previously lined the walk has now been removed and replaced by a carefully selected variety of trees – some with some rather interesting and poignant back stories.

We continued the task of the morning, clearing and preparing the ground for more seed sowing along the Walk, aiming for more beautiful wildflower displays there for years to come.

As no respectable workday should be without a bonfire, our fire-starters Matt, Ron and Ann made their way to the bonfire site and were soon clearing brash, with a healthy fire that billowed smoke right across the grounds – fortunately out of the way of the visiting public. 

More of the group joined them after lunch to make short work of clearing and burning all that remained.  All tasks completed to Gardener Derek’s satisfaction, a good day in the sunshine was had by all. (Thanks too to WDL, Leela for what look’s like another tasty cake – Ed.!)