EXCEPTIONAL VOLUNTEERING

Posted on May 1, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

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Richard Gwilt has joined the elite of extreme sports – the skydivers.
“I did the jump on Fri 28th April at about 2pm to raise funds for the Hospice of St Francis charity. It was dry but cloudy. We circled around to get to 13000 ft, then it was exit one at a time. The first part of the free fall was in sunshine, then we went into cloud which was cold and a bit nauseating. Came out of the cloud back into sunshine, waving at the camera man, then opened the canopy at about 5000 feet. Then we came down at a more leisurely pace where you can enjoy the view and rotate the canopy – too much turning can make you feel sick.
Landed ok feeling quite elated”.

You certainly get a different view of the countryside at five thousand feet. Richard has raised some £500 so far for his efforts – it’s not too late to donate

 

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WAKE UP

Posted on April 27, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

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Wake up and smell the…………………

Ancient woodlands, hills meadows and commons that make up the Ashridge estate.

Our sense of smell has a profound impact on how we connect with the world around us – how would you feel if you could no longer smell the countryside as we know it? Unless our ancient woodlands and meadows are given the protection they deserve we will only have artificial aromas left to remind us of their scent.

Ancient areas of landscape offer a rich bounty to our nostrils throughout the seasons. These precious natural assets are iconic elements of our landscapes and hold enormous cultural interest and historical value. They represent the last enduring, primary components of our ancient lands, the like of which we will never see again. Ancient woods are our “rainforests” and our open commons our “savannahs”. But increasingly these ancient habitats are under threat from development, intensive land use, climate change, pests and diseases, and invasive species. Current safeguards barely touch on the depth of the problem, although conservation groups like the Woodland Trust put strong representation to the Government.

As volunteers let us refresh our senses with the lingering scent of the bluebell or the unmistakable reek of wild garlic in Spring, along with the May flower in the hedgerows and the gorse bloom on the common. The intoxicating perfume of the honeysuckle in June, to be followed by the sweet bouquet of the lime trees. Remember the fresh smell of new cut grass when making hay, or the warm air rising from the downland turf on a hot Summer’s day. The smell of cut corn and horse sweat at harvest time is but a distant memory now. – diesel fumes are no substitute. When Autumn brings with it the musty odour of the fungi set off by the heavy dew of seasonal rains, it leads to the underlying stench of rotting leaves on the ground. You might catch a whiff of wood smoke from the volunteer’s fires burning brash late in the year.

So when you next take a walk on the wild side seek out these delights of nature and take a deep breath and smell the fresh air, and the scent that the urban dwellers miss out on – it costs you nothing at Ashridge.

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A PERSONAL PROFILE

Posted on April 22, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

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For those of us that have reached retirement there are one hundred and one things, so we are told, that we can do to pass the time away until the fatal day. Jumping out of a plane at 13,000 feet is probably not on your “bucket list” – a list of all the goals you want to achieve, dreams you want to fulfil and life experiences you desire before you die. Some of the more outlandish activities might be………..

Spend more time with the family
Meet working friends at their jobs on weekdays with a picnic lunch
Throw more parties
Write more letters
Join a book club
Volunteer for charity sky-diving
Find a partner
Join a club (for example a chess club)

Richard Gwilt has chosen one of the more extreme activities to raise funds for the Hospice of st. francis in Berkhamsted. – the sky-diving one. Richard is a regular volunteer ranger at Ashridge where you have probably seen him exercising his dog Eric. As a free spirit he actively seeks out kindred spirits who group together for conversation on conservation.

Raising a regular amount of money is obviously vital to many charitable organisations just to keep going. But coming up with novel fundraising not only helps to bring in much needed cash but can also raise the profile of this local hospice, which provided help for Richard in his time of need.

The Blog has supported Richard with a donation and for those of you who might wish to do the same please click here to donate.

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The Bluebell

Posted on April 20, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

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John Keats called it the “Sapphire queen of the mid-May” in his poem Fancy published in 1820. Two hundred years later we have to move that into April because of another early Spring.

No other flower holds quite the same place in the nation’s hearts as the bluebell. Like our favourite bird, the robin, and our best-known tree, the oak, it has become a symbol of what it means to be British.

This is appropriate, given that, globally, the bluebell has a very limited range: it is confined to the western shores of the great Eurasian landmass, where the Atlantic-influenced maritime climate – generally mild and wet – allows this little flower to grow in profusion.

The name “bluebell” seems to have been with us for ever, so it is surprising to learn that it first appeared in print barely two hundred years ago, in the last decade of the 18th century. The name was in use much earlier, but it was applied to a completely different plant, the harebell, a flower that tends to prefer sunnier, more open settings on our chalk downland.

Tennyson compared a carpet of bluebells to “the blue sky, breaking up through the earth”. But even this is topped by Gerard Manley Hopkins who, in his journal for 1871, wrote of bluebells “in falls of sky-colour washing the brows and slacks of the ground with vein-blue”.

Sadly, our spring carpets of bluebells are now under threat on two flanks, both, ironically, a result of our very British passion for gardening. Bluebells are vulnerable to having their bulbs dug up by people wanting to replant them in their gardens – an act that is now illegal, as well as selfish. It is difficult to buy true wild plants since most supplies are of the hybridised form.

Wild bluebell displays are often infiltrated by stands of Spanish bluebells, a popular garden variety with stiffer, less drooping flowers, which freely hybridises with native plants, and creates hybrid flowers. Fortunately, there are still enough displays of pure British bluebells for us to enjoy: from Cape Wrath at the tip of Scotland to our most southerly outpost, the Isles of Scilly.

On a sunlit spring morning, walking serenaded by birdsong, it is hard to imagine a more classic wildflower experience than a British bluebell wood in full bloom.

Welcome to Dockey Wood. The gates are open, the flowers are out, the signs are up, and the volunteers are already patrolling the walk-ways and engaging with the visitors. It is rewarding to know that this tiny wood in a remote part of rural Buckinghamshire is now a global attraction, “for ever and for everyone”.

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EGG-CELLENT ……..

Posted on April 17, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

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A lot of approval and pleasure has centred around the Visitor Centre this past week, with egg-collectors cracking on with their egg hunting despite the chilly weather, while the volunteers have been on hand to help the staff with the distribution of the five thousand Easter eggs on offer.

Origin of Easter

Easter actually began as a pagan festival celebrating spring, long before the advent of Christianity. Since pre-historic times, people have celebrated the equinoxes and the solstices as sacred times. The spring equinox is the day when the amount of darkness and the amount of daylight are identical, with spring emerging from winter. Following the advent of Christianity, the Easter period became associated with the resurrection of Christ. Spring festivals with the theme of new life and relief from the cold of winter became connected explicitly to Jesus having conquered death by being resurrected after the crucifixion.

In 325AD the first major church council, the Council of Nicaea, determined that Easter should fall on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox, and that is why the dates vary and why Easter festivities are often referred to as “moveable feasts”.

There is a defined period between March 25th and April 25th during which Easter Sunday must fall, and that is determined by the movement of the planets and the Sun.

Pascha, Easter and the goddess of spring

In most countries in Europe, the name for Easter is derived from the Jewish festival of Passover, but in English-speaking countries, and in Germany, Easter takes its name from a pagan goddess from Anglo-Saxon England who was described in a book by the eighth-century English monk Bede. Eostre was a goddess of spring or renewal and that’s why the feast is attached to the spring equinox. The pasque flowers growing on Piccadilly Hill are so named since they are in bloom at Easter.

Rabbits and eggs as ancient symbols of new life

Many of the pagan customs associated with the celebration of spring eventually became absorbed within Christianity as symbols of the resurrection of Jesus.

During the Middle Ages, people began decorating eggs and eating them as a treat following mass on Easter Sunday, after fasting through Lent.

The custom of decorating hard-boiled eggs or blown eggs is still a very popular folk custom in Europe. Rabbits and hares were also associated with fertility and were symbols linked to the goddess Eostre. The first association of the rabbit with Easter, was a mention of the “Easter hare” in a book by German professor of medicine Georg Franck von Franckenau published in 1722. Folklore recalls that hares would hide the coloured eggs that children hunted for, which suggests that as early as the 18th century decorated eggs were hidden in gardens for egg hunts in Europe.

Commercialisation, confectionery and greeting cards

Commercialisation during the 19th century saw rabbits become a popular symbol of Easter with the growth of the greeting card industry. Postage services became affordable and people wanted to keep in touch with each other, so companies like Hallmark became big by launching images of cute little rabbits and Easter eggs on cards. The first edible Easter bunnies made from sugared pastry were made in Germany in the 19th century. The big confectionery companies started manufacturing chocolate eggs in Victorian times, the first being Cadbury in 1875.

Chocolate that used to be something that was bitter and drunk became something that was sweetened and turned into a confectionery treat, and Easter eggs were one of the areas of marketing for chocolate. Today, chocolate eggs and egg hunts are a popular part of Easter celebrations around the world.

All the while the chocolate bunnies and eggs serve as a reminder of Easter’s ancient origins and Christian traditions. In the event the Easter eggs sold out appropriately on Easter Sunday, much to the relief of Josh and the crew at the Visitor Centre.

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Breaking the Rules

Posted on April 13, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

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Deep down in the centre of the Estate lies the attractive Woodyard Cottage(s), built around 1820 when the Bridgewaters were becoming landed aristocrats. Already rich from their coal and canal activity in Lancashire, they rapidly extended their land holding once their new residence had been built – the Mansion that we see today.

The path to the north which skirts around the large open meadow was originally the main footpath route from Woodyard to the Mansion, some half a mile away. It connects up with the old sand pit adjacent to the cottage(s), from where large quantities of sand were no doubt extracted for the building of the new house. The sand pit occurred just outside the park perimeter paling, on Berkhamstead common where the Bridgewaters only had commoners’ rights. They subsequently bought the exclusive rights to the common from the Duchy of Cornwall in 1863 for the sum of one hundred and forty four thousand pounds. The sighting of the sand pit “broke the rules” because it intersected the track-way along the perimeter fence line which was the main route from Hemel Hempstead to Aldbury at that time. To make matters worse the Bridgewaters proceeded to build two adjacent semi-detached cottages for their estate workers, no doubt to stamp their authority on the common. They acquired the land without opposition. 

Back on the path in the Park the mountain bikers have appeared scattering everyone before them!

“Breaking the rules” on the rights of way they deliberately disrespect the signage and ignore the fact that the path is not a bridleway for bikers. Most mountain bikers seem to have little regard for conservation, or indeed other visitors, merely being interested in pitting their wits against the landscape. To curb this illegal activity the ad hoc Wednesday group of volunteers were called in to build a dead hedge, blocking off the route and protecting the environment, with timber hauled over from Golden Valley. Another sterling piece of work which should prove effective.

Back at the cottage(s) with it’s classical influences, the only residents there at the moment are the glis-glis. The edible dormouse will have to be evicted before any new tenants move in. Mr Hopkins the last tenant died without issue, so the property has reverted to the National Trust by default.

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Bless the S S S I

Posted on April 10, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

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A site of special scientific interest is designated and regulated by Natural England as an area of special interest by reason of its flora, fauna or geology. Ashridge have a number of these designated areas within the Estate and for Ashridge to be acknowledged as a special place, they have to work hard to meet certain standards. They are currently mindful of invasive and non-native flora on the property, like spanish bluebells, small balsam and more recently few-flowered leeks. Removing the daffodils is not a passion project – outside of the bounds of day-to-day activities or doing it for personal satisfaction.

There are more than four thousand SSSIs in England covering over two million acres, or about 7.6%, of England. SSSIs represent the very best of the rich variety of wildlife and geology that makes England’s nature special and distinct from any other country in the world. SSSIs can be small areas that protect populations of a single species or large expanses of upland moorland or coastal mudflats and marshes.

The volunteers have recently been actively involved in removing invasive plants like the few-flowered leek appearing on Northchurch common. Dumped by a passing motorist a few years back, a bag of unwanted bulbs became an ever increasing spread of plants requiring careful removal, and producing a truck-load of detritus.

Now that the rogue daffodils have been cleared out, the Trust are waiting for the small clumps of spanish bluebells to awake from their seasonal slumbers, so that they can be removed. This Spanish invasion is more insidious than the last one, with the plants out-performing our native bluebells over time, with bees cross pollinating with them to produce hybrids. This is a serious threat to the long term survival of hyacinthoides non-scripta. The small balsam which carpets the woodland floor in Aldbury common is an annual, and appears later in the year to be hand picked by the volunteers.

Over in Golden Valley work is continuing to clear up the fallen timbers and log piles which have accumulated over the years. Sadly this part of the Estate is not visited that frequently by the public, due to a lack of car parking facilities – some would say thankfully! There are vested interests at work here. Either let nature take her course by decaying fallen timbers where they fall, which is the normal practice at Ashridge, or remove them to present the correct visual aspect to the Park. When Capability Brown laid out the valley around 1755, he had all the fallen timbers removed to give a swathe of uninterrupted grassland dotted with specimen trees, and fringed by the woods on the valley slopes. To overcome this dilemma, Ben the forester has opted for a zonal approach with the large rotting timbers being lifted and moved out of sight further up the valley side by the volunteers, to quietly rot away, while the remaining brushwood is then loaded and carted away to leave an open aspect as originally intended by Brown.

Back at the Visitor Centre, Emily is preparing to let out space in her wildlife garden with an hotel for bees, recently built by the volunteers. Another SSSI site in the making!

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VOLUNTEERS’ FORUM

Posted on April 6, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

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Last Friday’s Forum attracted over forty volunteers from the different groups. Susie presented the Workplan for 2017 at Ashridge, with Lawrence giving details of past and future commitments to conservation, and Lalenya outlining details of her forthcoming events.

Capitol projects gaining traction include the car parking project, the long awaited extension to the Estate Office, the extension to the mobility track and cycle route, and the upgrading of the Basecamp for visitors. Various surveys are being undertaken, and approvals and estimates being sought.

New signage is appearing with the replacement of the old maroon notices with new slate grey ones, which are being rolled out across the N T property portfolio. The fourteen new information boards to be erected at Ashridge beauty spots are awaiting planning approval, and this will result in the removal of some of the iconic silver “omega” signs.

The eagerly awaited mini information leaflets for dog-walkers, bikers, and horse riders are in print, and will be invaluable as hand-outs for the visitors, and the “yellow” map for bikers is on sale.

An exhibition to celebrate the centenary of women’s suffrage is planned for 2018, referencing the women who have helped in the development of Ashridge over the years. Volunteers are to be asked to participate in this project.

Plans are well advanced for the April Egg Hunt, when some five thousand chocolate Easter eggs are expected to be sold – weather permitting.

Dockey Wood is being prepared for the influx of admirers to see the now famous bluebells, with membership recruitment high on the agenda. This years overall target is three hundred and thirty six and is proceeding well, with a new dedicated van having been purchased to help the recruiters.

A special “tree weekend” fundraising appeal is being launched in September, with a view to raising funds for veteran tree care at Ashridge.

Deer management has been the biggest commitment to conservation since it has such a huge bearing on all aspects of the habitat at Ashridge. The cull resulted in a reduction of the herds to one thousand four hundred and eighty fallow, and ninety muntjac deer. Future supplies of venison are to be sold throughout the trust branded as “Ashridge Venison”.

Restoration of heathland is continuing on Berkhamsted common, with downland improvement at Northchurch Flats and Hudnall.

Plant seeds have been taken to propagate the wild kidney vetch as a plant food for the butterflies, and cuttings have been prepared from the now endangered juniper. A twenty year woodland management plan has been formulated to obtain countryside stewardship funding, with tree safety management along roads and rights of way continuing as work in progress.

On the archaeology front, Ashridge will be supporting a new project by the Chiltern Society investigating the hill-forts along the Chiltern escarpment.

A wild flower walk and picnic for staff and volunteers is planned for Monday 5th June at the Beacon. – bring your own cup and cake.

These regular forums are well attended and are proving to be very informative with only two questions being asked in the open session – further conversations took place over coffee and cake.

These meetings help to foster a togetherness between the disparate groups working at Ashridge – windmillers, flint wallers, shop keepers, conservationists, rangers, surveyors, carpenters and monumenteers. The detailed information provided, enables the volunteers to confidently engage with the public and is a foundation for the “Service Vision” for staff and volunteers alike, being rolled out by the Trust. A document was presented outlining the exceptional service which the N T hope to be identified with when receiving visitors, offering the public something special on their trip out. One of the volunteers, from Dunwich Heath is on-message

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DIG those DAFFODILS

Posted on March 30, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

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Let’s tackle Britain’s invasive species – just leave the daffodils alone some say.

The volunteers are at it again – digging up the daffodils.
Sunrise, Golden Harvest, Cheerfulness, Magnificence, Soleil d’Or – the names of cultivated daffodil varieties are as evocative as the spring flowers themselves. But how do you feel about hefty suburban daffs in wild places?
Britain has a native daffodil which you can find down at Frithsden, so many nature lovers dislike the incursion of brash cultivated varieties into our countryside.
As far as the Trust are concerned at Ashridge they are a definite no-no, because they are not native and visitors admire them and want to plant more! Zealous gardeners who want to gentrify the countryside are not to be encouraged. Brash blooms are all very well in a garden, but are a plant in the wrong place at Ashridge – a weed!
Naturalist Mark Avery has written about his hatred of “feral” daffodils anywhere wilder than gardens or suburban verges. They’re like graffiti in the countryside, he says, triggering a debate about belonging and beauty. There are over seventy non-native invasive species in the U K and some of them have turned up at Ashridge – edible dormouse, small balsam, muntjac deer, spanish bluebells, grey squirrels. They all raise big ethical questions, and practical challenges for our ecosystems. Invasive species are one of the prime contributors to extinction, after habitat loss.

But the language is problematic. “Invasive” suggests the species is to blame, when it is usually moved by globetrotting humans, or zealous gardeners. Protecting “native species” sounds like nativism, or even racism, which is why many people instinctively side with animal rights campaigners against proposals to control non-native species.
We need another word for species moved by humans on to islands or continents where they cause harm, and “weed” won’t really do.

A pragmatist would scientifically measure the damage caused and act to stop extinctions. So splashes of domesticated daffodils beyond suburbia get a reprieve because they’re not decimating other species, but they are still a no-no at wild Ashridge.

Thanks to Patrick Barkham for his contribution.

Posted in Flora and Fauna, Volunteer Rangers | 7 Comments

Pick-and-Mix

Posted on March 26, 2017 by ashridgevolunteersblog

There is a packed program of special events to choose from when organising your volunteering time-table for the next three months at Ashridge. There are thirteen events to consider, unlucky for some – either join the event as a visitor, or volunteer to help by contacting helping.ashridge@nationaltrust.org.uk to register your interest.

Monday 3rd April – Friday 7th April Easter Crafts 10.00am-4pm
Be creative at the Visitor Centre.

Wednesday 12th April Gentle Stroll 10.30am-12.30pm
See signs of Spring around the Visitor Centre.

Friday 14th April – Monday 17th April Egg Hunt 10.00am-4pm
Complete the Easter trail.

Saturday 29th April & 6th May Dawn Chorus Walk 5.00am – 7am
Experience early morning bird song.

Saturday 29th April & Sunday 30th April, Monday 1st May, Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th May
Dockey Wood Bluebells 10.00am – 4pm
Join the throng of admirers.

Unspecified Dates Bluebell Walks
Guided walks around the Estate.

Wednesday 3rd May Gentle Stroll 10.30am- 12.30pm
Bluebell walk from Ling Ride.

Sunday 21st May Plant Fair 11.00am – 4pm
Join the throng of buyers.

Monday 29th May Bird Survey 10.00am – 4.00pm
Join the skylarks and meadow pipits on Northchurch common.

Monday 29th May – Friday 2nd June Crafts and Trail 10.00am – 4pm
Be creative at the Visitor Centre.

Friday 9th June & Friday 7th July Bat Walk 8.30pm – 10pm
Spot a bat.

Sunday 11th June Fun Ride 9.00am – 12.pm
Help marshal the horses or bring your own.

Monday 26th June Gentle Stroll 2.30pm – 4.30pm
Admire the summer flowers.

Watch this space for more appealing activities throughout the year.

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