Regular volunteer work days have started on Gower this year. Working in partnership with City & County of Swansea AoNB Ranger, Huw Lloyd, we are delivering practical reserve management on WTSSW reserves. To date there have been three work days at Elizabeth & Rowe Harding Reserve, Ilston – volunteers have worked hard clearing scrub encroachment from the wildflower meadow at the top of the reserve. There are further plans to carry out work at a variety of reserves including the South Gower coast, Hambury Woods and Gelli Hir Woods.
Workdays occur most Thursdays. If you are interested in volunteering please contact WTO Paul Thornton or Ed Tucker
Opportunities to volunteer are currently limited due to provision of tools and safety equipment. The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, West Glamorgan local group are currently fundraising to buy tools and equipment to allow us to offer more volunteer places. To donate or find out more please contact the Local Group through our office phone number (01656 724100) or email.
Gelli Hir car park closed due to fly tipping
Unfortunately the decision has had to be made to close the car park at Gelli Hir Woods, Cilonen, Gower. Oak bollards have been secured at the entrance to stop vehicle access but allow the easy passage of pedestrians. These measures have used previously to discourage undesirable activity in the car park and unfortunately due to recent break ins to the woods and at least 3 incidents of fly-tipping (of furniture, building waste and 50+ car tyres) we have had to restrict access to the car park to this beautiful & popular woodland reserve.
The blight of fly-tipping seems to have increased throughout Gower in the last few years. Not only is Gelli Hir suffering but there is also an ongoing problem of the tipping of garden waste at Kilvrough Woods on south Gower along with numerous cases of fly-tipping tipping on private land and on the commons. It seems that whilst most of us enjoy our countryside (in this case part of the Gower AoNB) a few people are willing to spoil it by using our quiet lanes, open commons, field gateways and hidden woodlands for disposal of commercial, household, garden or building waste. Fly-tipped waste is a financial burden to landowners who are unfortunate enough to have to foot the bill for the clean up. You can help both by being vigilant when out and about and by discouraging fly-tipping by enquiring with tradesmen you engage as to how and where they dispose of their waste.
WTO Paul Thornton asks if any walkers or users of the Gelli Hir could contact him if they see any suspicious activity or vehicles in the woodland but advises users not to approach anyone. If you see anyone acting suspiciously with a van, tipper truck or trailer full of rubbish in the vicinity of Gelli Hir (or any other reserve) please note the registration number of the vehicle and contact the Police or Council Environment Department.
Useful numbers:
Paul Thornton (Senior Wildlife Trust Officer Swansea Neath Port Talbot) 07966 564372
City & County Swansea Environment Department 01792 635600
Swansea Central Police Station 01792 456999
Tree O Clock Event, Gendros Community Centre
On Saturday 5th December 2009 the Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales worked in partnership with City & County of Swansea & Breathing Spaces to run a Tree O Clock event at Gendros Community Centre. The event was put on as part of National Tree week and the aim was to plant as many trees as possible in an hour between the hours of 11 and 12. All this effort was to go towards a new world record attempt being carried out across the UK for the most trees planted by hand by any number of people within a single hour.
On the day we had a good turn out, with around 40 volunteers from local youth groups and members of the local community supported by Trust and Council staff all raring to go with spades at the ready. When 11 O’ clock came round the stop watch was started and the planting began. We had two areas ready to be planted, a 20 meter long, 5 meters wide fenced diamond area and a 50 meter long hedge bank. Volunteers were divided up into the two areas and got stuck in. After 37 minutes had passed the stop watch was stopped as all the trees allocated for the two areas had been planted. The trees were then counted by adjudicators, and a total of 366 trees had been planted towards the new world record attempt. The trees were planted as part of a City & Council of Swansea project to create a new “nature & wild play” area on an area of neglected land adjacent to the Community Centre which the Trust have been involved with through the summer.
After the tree planting had finished the volunteers all headed back to the Community Centre where bread rolls and soup had been put on for them along with environmental education activities. The whole event went down really well with the local community and all a good day was had by everybody. We are yet to find out if the record was broken!
Melincwrt Waterfall path repairs
It has been a wet summer in the Neath valley this year. Storms early in August caused a number of large trees to uproot and landslips to occur on both sides of the main path from the car park to the falls at Melincwrt causing Swansea, Neath & Port Talbot WTO Paul Thornton to discourage access. Neath Port Talbot Council came to the rescue employing contractors and investing £4500 in repairs to the path. The extremely hardworking contractors barrowed over 2 tonnes of stone and materials into site to build a retaining wall to shore up and repair the path. The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales would like to thank the council and their contractors for their help in speedily making this reserve a safe place for visitors again.
The Melincwrt reserve is upland oak woodland which ascends steeply from the narrow gorge of the Melincwrt brook. This is a highly popular reserve with locals and tourists alike; the 25 metre (80 foot) waterfall is one of the most impressive in South Wales and well worth a visit at any time but especially after a spell of wet weather. Further access improvements and habitat management works are being planned for the future.
Paul would also like to thank National Grid for the donation of a 12 foot field gate for Graig cil Hendre. Over the past few months a number of thefts have occurred from this woodland reserve culminating with the gate at the entrance to the reserve being stolen last month. National Grid have been working nearby on the new pipeline that crosses close to the reserve and generously offered to install a gate from their stores. Last year a major project was carried out here to improve access, amenities and biodiversity with funding from WREN and National Grid.
Crwys Kids Help with Prior's Wood Rejuvenation
A group of children from Crwys Primary School, Three Crosses, have been helping staff from the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales plant trees donated by energy company, National Grid at the Trust's nearby Prior's Wood and Meadow Reserve.
The kid's spent time planting a mix of ash and oak trees along with smaller understory hazel, rowan and field maple to help create a diversity in height and age of trees at the existing woodland edge. Currently the woodland stops abruptly at the edge of the Trust's Meadow and the newly planted woodland edge will help provide a species rich sloping boundary. The group of nearly 30 children walked to the woods from their neighbouring school late in spring and had a great day helping reserves staff plant trees and enjoying educational activities with The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales’ education Officer Julie Furber.
The donation is part of National Grid's environmental enhancement support for initiatives close to its recent Milford Haven pipeline project. Further planting has been carried out within Priors wood and on other reserves in the counties of Swansea & Neath-Port Talbot with tree donated by National Grid including more planting at new reserve Coed Barcud