Ridge Workday 9th April 2005

This time of year we generally have a Spring Clean day. That's where we scour as much of the Ridge as possible looking for rubbish that's been left lying around.

To be honest, this is generally not an arduous day. Many of the Friends, and admirably, some of the people who regularly walk the Ridge but are not active members of the group, pick up any rubbish they find on their way through. So the Ridge is constantly 'cleaned' anyway.

So the day is actually spent actively looking for rubbish under bushes, behind benches and other out-of-the-way places. South Gloucestershire Council helpfully provided gloves, bags and grabbers, and after meeting up at the Westons Way entrance, we all moved off in different directions.

There was a good turnout today making the task a lot easier and we were soon bumping in to each others' patches. Although slightly chilly at first, it was nevertheless a sunny day which soon turned warm by the time mid-day arrived. It was another "great to be outdoors" moment!

There were quite a few large black sacks accumulated by the end of the day, mostly containing the usual bottles, cans, carrier bags and packaging. Notably though, Peter J recovered a Datsun car wheel from a thicket, along with a wheel barrow whilst Lee and Elisabeth discovered a rusting bicycle frame in the orchard area.

Meanwhile, Rose and Maureen planted Snowdrops on the main part of the Ridge. These were kindly donated by Rose from her garden. We look forward to seeing those develop as their aren't many on the Ridge.

All the gathered rubbish bags and other items were deposited at the Westons Way entrance ready for the Council to collect. This was duly collected by the Council within a couple of days. Overall it was a very successful day.