As quick as the Himalayan Balsam keep appearing along the stream through the nature reserve, we keep determinedly pulling it up!
The team of 9 enthusiastic volunteers spent the midweek volunteer session on the 31st July sweeping the length of the nature reserve starting from Stirling Walk, and ending up all the way at the other end on Elmbridge Avenue.
Half of the volunteers donned wellies and waders, and got into the stream, while the rest of the team worked from the banks.
As we made our way through the nature reserve we trimmed back huge amounts of nettles and brambles which were hanging over or encroaching into the stream, while pulling any more Himalayan Balsam we came across.
The team on the bank also helped to open up a lot of the paths which run along the stream, particularly near Berrylands Scout Hut, and even found time to uncover a bench, which had been largely lost in a mass of nettle and bramble, and improve sight-lines both too and from it.
As the team made it’s way along we discovered a few larger patches of balsam in amongst some of the areas of brambles which we had previously been unable to see.
Determined to eradicate this invasive nuisance from our community nature reserve some of the volunteers intrepidly made their way in and by the end of the session it appeared that there was no currently visible balsam anywhere on the stream all the way from the Meldone Close car park to the Elmbridge Avenue end of the nature reserve!
I’m sure the will be more that springs up over the rest of the summer, but we will be there to tackle it!
