The Council’s Nature Nurture events happen across parks in the north of the city every Friday. A number of these have focussed on nature conservation work around the Kings Weston estate and included several opportunities for scything.  

A few regular KWAG volunteers came out for the two events last month focussing on the grassland on Penpole Point, joined by Council rangers and new volunteers.

Scything isn’t something KWAG has put on before, so it was interesting learning to use different tools and techniques to help maintain the important grasslands. Over two of the Friday sessions we got to grips with the area sown with wildflower meadow five years ago, raking-off the cut material to keep the grassland healthy. The area around the ruins of Penpole Lodge were also tended to, but the encroachment of brambles and elm runners remains an issue.

The Nature Nurture team also hope to focus on the two ponds close to the Echo, brining a corporate group of volunteers to help clear in and around it, and set up a post and wire fence to keep dogs and debris from finding their way into the pools instead of the wildlife hoped for.

The Council are also looking at thinning some of the self-seeded trees from around the pond, trees that undermined KWAGs last effort to clear them by overshadowing them and filling them with dead leaves in Autumn. We hope everyone will appreciate the efforts now being put into increasing the biodiversity of this part of the historic parkland.  If you have any concerns or queries, please email us and we can pass them on.