A big thank you to all the local residents who supported the volunteer morning in Manor Park on Saturday, 15th March.

They say beware the ides of March, but there was nothing to worry about. The forecast was for bright sunshine, and the weather did not disappoint. Even before our official kick-off time over 10 people were on site and getting on with jobs. We had two main tasks for the day: planting trees and building a dead hedge.

Tree Planting
I had ordered 30 trees from the Woodland Trust. They arrived a week ago in the form of very small whips, a mix of Cherry, Rowan, and Birch. We were then contacted by Howard Gregory from Trees over Epsom, who offered a further 50. Lucky us! So, in the end, we had 87 trees to plant. By the end of the day, our wonderful volunteers had planted all 87 trees, a mixture of Downy Birch, Silver Birch, Rowan, Cherry, Field Maple, and Lime. A few went in the front area near the railway bridge, with the majority along the area between the path and the railway line.

Dead Hedging
Our other task of the day was dead hedging. We first had to create the material. We did this by cutting back 30 metres of undergrowth along the path that backs onto the houses near the junior football pitches and removing brambles that had grown over some of our grassy verges.
The new stretch of dead hedge runs alongside the Bluebell Copse. It was very satisfying to build. Why?

  • Provides habitat and shelter for wildlife, including birds, small mammals, and insects.
  • Recycles garden waste material by using surplus branches and cuttings.
  • Acts as a natural barrier to guide people and protect sensitive areas.
  • Improves biodiversity in the park
  • Looks great!

A great turnout
Over the course of the morning, we were supported by 28 volunteers. We planted 87 trees, cleared 30 metres of undergrowth, and built a new dead hedge.

Get Involved
If you’d like to get involved with our work, just attend a weekend volunteer morning or one of our weekday sessions (Mondays and Thursdays, 10-12 noon), or just get in touch. We’re always looking for help across all aspects of what we do, from admin, troubleshooting, fundraising, marshalling events, project management, to getting stuck in with a pair of loppers or a spade.
Drop us a line at team@ourmanorpark.org.uk.

(Thank you to James Ryan Campbell for the photography.)