09/2020
September saw both summer and spring meadows at St Paternus being cut by Cormac. This cut is the biggest of the year, so we were pleased to have a good number of volunteers to help with the work, including some new faces. It’s lovely to have such a mix of people of all ages, abilities and from all walks of life working together.
The sun shone and we managed to get the bulk of the work done in one day. Even after the cut the churchyard was very lively with slow worms, frogs and grasshoppers. The spiders seem to be having a bumper year too, which I’m personally somewhat more ambivalent about!
It was the first time since covid struck that we have been able to run a full volunteer event, although we have had to make changes to the way we work. We cannot presently share equipment and restrictions sadly meant no communal refreshments or cake. Maintaining the requisite space was no problem though as a rake is a pretty handy tool for social distancing!
Prior to the cut we marked out the boundaries of the two long grass areas with stakes. The idea is to develop a defined edge for Cormac to cut to, so the stakes themselves are not a permanent feature.
The long grass sections are there to provide a refuge from the mower for the hedgehogs especially, but are important for all the small mammals. We have been aware that some of the graves on the south side of the church were beginning to get lost in the undergrowth and so hope that this measure will improve access and generally help to keep the area tidy.
The next cut is due in early November. This will be the final cut of the year, and as always we would welcome any help, even if it is only for an hour or two.
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