It is the 75th anniversay of Festival Woodland in May so it was apt for some tidying up in readiness. Read the report from John below. We had one of the best days this year, for the first time it really felt that spring was just around the corner. The birds certainly thought so judging by the amount of birdsong. Today 's main task was to clear back to a depth of a metre the main Festival Woodland path of the accumulated brambles and dead growth and remove the soil which had e

Hello Conservation Volunteers After having to cancel our last work morning at Porter Clough due to the weather it was business as usual back at Forge Dam for our latest work morning. (We will re-arrange the Porter Clough session at a later time) This time our main task was to plant hazel whips to block off the desire line on the NW corner of the dam which cuts across a corner of the Wet Woodland. It has previously  been blocked with logs but which keep being removed by person

Hello Conservation Volunteers For our first work morning of 2026 we were round and about Forge Dam in rather chilly and icy conditions, where we were joined by three new volunteers, Luke, Jeanne, and David, but there was plenty to do to work up a good sweat! Before Christmas the drain with the FoPV plaque which goes under the goit was partially blocked with water flowing around it rather than through it and was a task for those volunteers who don't mind getting wet and muddy!

Hello Conservation Volunteers For our final work morning of 2025 we had arranged for the Parks team to bring a flatbed van filled with mulch to be used on the flowerbed opposite the playground. With Andy and Darron helping along with our volunteers, the perennials were first cut back, any remaining buttercups and weeds dug out, and the mulch liberally applied making it look much tidier for the winter. The flatbed van wasn't just for bringing the mulch though. The area behind