The 2017 summer proved very busy with weekly volunteer activity days. This caused a delay in meeting all seasonal activities and as a result the work normally undertaken at Sayers Common Pond was displaced in our schedule. We attempted to catch up at the end of 2017 and worked into December to achieve it. Due to the steepness of the banks, the high water level and the difficulty in working in the freezing cold water, a small working party was employed rather than advertising weekly general appeals to all volunteers.

The working party achieved a lot but were unable to complete everything hoped for due to the arrival of the seasonal demand to maintain all group owl boxes before the next breeding season. The work at the pond will resume as soon as this is completed.

Brush re-growth around the pond, excessive spread of rushes within it and re-growth of willow from areas previously cleared were some of the tasks addressed. The temperature of the water on some very icy days required increased layers of clothing to be worn beneath waders but even this did not prevent the cold penetrating. Due to the general dampness of the days and the wet cuttings removed all cleared debris proved a problem to burn. The team worked very hard however and much was achieved. With frost and fog in abundance on these days it caused any meal breaks taken to be of much shorter duration than normal. Rarely have volunteers been so eager to get back to work again to warm up.

                                                               Volunteers brave the cold weather to improve the condition of the woodland pond.