The Practical Task Team (PTT) meet twice a month at St Ives and do various jobs and projects around the estate.
In 2026 we have a new project around the bird hide.
The idea is to make the ‘Hide’ more ‘Hidden’.
This is a mock up with a rough idea of what it will look like.
In February we planted :
50 Hawthorne, 25 Blackthorne, 10 Guelder Rose, 5 Crab Apple, 5 Hazel and 5 Dog Rose.
Now in April and we are very pleased that many of the small spils are showing green buds :)
THE STUMPERY….. This has been an ongoing project which we have been very excited about and committed to.
Finding stumps which had good, interesting shapes being one of the first tasks!
Spotting the stumps far and wide around the estate wasn’t hard, but getting them to their resting place was another story!
Amazing what you can carry in a wheelbarrow.
Clearing the site
Collecting the stumps
Many springs feed coppice pond, a drainage ditch runs at the far side of the pond and fills up with leaves and debris then floods the path.
We cleared the ditch in Autumn 2024, we also saved a frog!!
This is the main culvert that runs from the Wheelhouse to Baxters Pond.
We cleared it in spring of 2025, it took a few sessions but we were very happy with the outcome.
Have a look at the Ponds and Waterways page to find where all the original culverts and ponds were,quite a few of them still exist !
