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Get the
latest Obelisk news sent to your mobile! Just click the link above
"follow Obelisk Spinney on Twitter", then follow the instructions on the
Twitter site. |
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| NEXT
WORKING PARTY AND MEETING DATES New dates will be announced
soon. Don't worry, we haven't gone away!
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NEW PATHS IN THE SPINNEY
The the new network of pathways has been completed. BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) started work on June 9th 2009 and
finished in September. They have done an excellent job and the paths
have
greatly improved access to the Spinney, particularly in wet weather, when the
old trodden paths tended to get very muddy.
The project has been made possible by a grant from the WNDC Stronger
Communities Fund, together with Daventry District Council, and we are very
grateful for their support. We are also grateful the BTCV volunteers
who have given up their free time to come along and do the job.
Without them donating their time, we would not have been able to raise
sufficient funds to complete the project. |
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February 2009 - tree work
Thanks to grants from the
Northamptonshire Community Foundation and Daventry District Council, we were
able to go ahead with the first stage of our major tree works in February. This
was carried out by Treemenders
and involved felling some dead and dangerous trees and topping
others with dead branches to make them safe. It has opened up the
canopy in places, and we may plant some trees later to replace the dead
ones. |
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2008 achievements and plans
for 2009
At the end of our second year of
work in the Spinney it was time to look back on what we’ve achieved. 2008 has
been a year when we’ve really started to make a difference to the look of
the Spinney. The highlights of the year were:
 | Funding secured from Northants
County Council, BTCV, Northants Community Foundation, Daventry District
Council. |
| Erected an interpretation
board |
| Launched the website |
| Recruited a small army of
“Friends” |
| Held three very successful
work party days with help from Barclaycard and Kingdom Life Church |
| Cleared a large area of
bramble and dog-roe and planted and maintained the wildflower meadow |
| Planted bluebells |
| Installed brown signs pointing
to the Spinney |
| Installed bat and bird boxes |
| Purchased a chainsaw and
forestry tools with help from Obelisk Rise Residents Association and BTCV. |
| Got the main right of way
footpath resurfaced, with new gates at either end. |
| Cleared the Long Spinney of
litter, planted bluebells and had a new fence and gate installed at the
Ash Rise end. |
Whew! But we’re not stopping
there. Here are our plans for 2009:
| Major tree surgery on dead or
dying trees, funded by NCF and DDC (see above). |
| Start a tree survey, making a
record of every tree in the Spinney. |
| Secure funding to improve the
paths through the Spinney. We hope to get funding from WNDC for this, along with help from Daventry DC. |
| Repair and relay the hedge
along the eastern boundary of the Spinney, with help from the Northants
County Council Pocket Park people. |
| Complete coppicing of trees in
at least two sections. |
| Maintain wildflower meadow. |
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Committee posts
As we look towards 2009 we are
going to need more volunteer help. We are looking for people to help in the
following areas:
| Publicity/press liaison |
| Health and Safety/risk
assessment |
| Wildlife surveying and
preservation |
| Work party organisation |
If you have any knowledge or
experience of these areas, or even if you’re just enthusiastic and want to
get stuck in, please contact us at
enquiries@obeliskspinney.org
or come along to one of our meetings or work parties. |
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Tools appeal
We have won a tool grant from
BTCV, but we need more tools! If anyone has any old garden tools lying
about in a shed that they have no use for, WE CAN USE THEM! Please contact
us on
enquiries@obeliskspinney.org or bring them along to the next work party
day. |
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Dedicate a tree! Our fund-raising
"Dedicate a Tree" campaign has been an amazing success (see
here). Nearly 40 people have donated £5 to
have a tree in the Spinney dedicated to them, or bought packs of Christmas
cards, and we have raised over £400 to help look after the Spinney.
Many thanks to all who contributed!
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| 19th October 2008 - footpath resurfaced! |
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| We had been lobbying Northamptonshire
County Council Highways department for some time to resurface and improve
access on the main right-of-way footpath that runs along the western edge of
the Spinney. It didn't look like it was going to happen any time soon
- until last week, when workmen suddenly appeared on the scene and started
digging! The result is a brand new and beautiful footpath - no tree
roots to trip you up, no mud, no steep bits, no overhanging branches.
Two new gates, one at either end were installed in December. A big
improvement to access to the Spinney - thank you Highways Dept! |
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11th October 2008 - brown signs installed |
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Today we installed brown signs at both
ends of the Spinney (see picture opposite). And thanks to generous
help from the Obelisk Rise Residents' Association we bought a chainsaw, so
now we can really get down to the job of coppicing and clearing out the
overgrown bits of the Spinney. |
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27th September 2008 - working
party morning |
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| A momentous event: the interpretation board was
installed by the side of the path near the Obelisk.
Steve C did all the digging - well done Steve. Now at last everyone can see
what we're about. A large unsightly patch of bramble and dog-rose next to
it was cleared and a start was made on cutting down the dead trees, coppicing
saplings and cutting up fallen branches with our borrowed chainsaw and man
(thank you Simon!). A really great morning's work - we are starting to see
some progress now. Brown direction signs and bat boxes will appear
shortly... |
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30th August 2008 - working
party day |
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| Another worthwhile morning - we cut
down some more ivy from the trees, picked lots of litter, mowed the grass, cleared brambles and
overgrown paths and filled in a hole that had been dug in the path for a bike
jump. |
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| 17th May 2008 - working
party day |
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| A very good turnout - especially from the younger
element - and a good morning's work was done. We cleared overgrown
paths, picket up litter, cut ivy from some of the worst affected trees, cleared
out some old dead trees and generally tidied things up. The Spinney looks
a lot smarter as a result. A photographer from the Chronicle & Echo came
along too - see the report
here. Click
here to see pictures of the day. |
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