An update from Sara Messenger of Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group.
The weather may be mild again, but with bare trees and muddy paths, there is no mistaking that winter has finally arrived on the reserve. At least our resident bird population have somewhere warm and dry to call home, as we’ve started to replace our old wooden bird boxes with ones made from woodcrete (a mixture of sawdust and cement). Although these are heavy and expensive, we are hoping that they will last much longer. Colin Davies, when he’s not making the boot brushes that are at the reserve exits, has made us some different style boxes and we’ll compare the two before replacing them all. Giant Bristol, the Willow Brook cycle shop, has generously donated to us several boxes of cycle inner tubes; these make great waterproof hinges for the boxes and any left over will be used as tree ties.
We have done a tremendous amount of work over the year. Green Gym volunteers have put in more than 1,840 hours of work on site, which is equal to nearly £26,000, and the Saturday group added another 1,014 hours (over £14,000). In addition to the manual work on site, the committee also put in many additional hours on administration and organizing everything from bat walks to training courses.
Although both groups have a steady membership, they are always on the lookout for new members. They are a great bunch of people and you get free tea and biccies and a great sense of achievement thrown in! Contact greengym@three-brooks.info / tel: 07497 006676 for Green Gym (every Thursday, 10am–1pm) and info@three-brooks.info / tel: 07497 006676 for the Saturday group (first Saturday of the month, 10am-4pm). Why not make us your New Year’s resolution?
Photo: Staff at Giant Bristol donate inner tubes.
This article originally appeared in the January 2017 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine (on page 13). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to 9,500 homes in Bradley Stoke, Little Stoke and Stoke Lodge. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
