Weaving willow hurdles for the wild play area

The hurdles at the end of the wild play area in the Earth Trust Centre garden had reached the ends of their working lives, and have been recycled into firewood for our Big Bale Boiler, which heats the office and Centre buildings.

Our Countryside Skills groups have all been working together to weave a new hurdle fence, and it looks brilliant!

We cut our own stakes from ash trees growing in the wrong place in the Broad Arboretum (they’re rather too good at self-seeding for our liking!), and harvested the willow from the sculptures at Neptune Wood in the autumn.

Many hands make light work! In just one session, students from Brookfields School went from ground level (shown in the picture above) to the sunny half fence below.

We had help from Wallingford School too.

The finished fence:

Hopefully you think the new fence looks as smart as we do. It should at least help to prevent excited Earth School visitors from running onto the farm track during the lunchtime play!

Giving HMS Neptune a hair cut!

Down at Neptune Wood, the Earth Trust has a number of willow sculptures representing HMS Neptune, three cannon balls, a scope and an anchor. Every autumn, the sculptures get a haircut and loose ends woven in, so that they remain neat and tidy.

The Countryside Skills students have done all the work! We’ve learned how to use loppers and secateurs safely, ready for coppicing in Little Wittenham Wood later in the year.

We have bundled up all the willow wands (after tickling each other with them from afar!) ready to use for building hurdles later in the year.

Here are some pictures of Bishopswood School tackling HMS Neptune: