The task of managing the whole area (approximately 3/4 acre) will need the support of volunteers with appropriate machinery to cut down the rough growth on the top of the mound.
So we decided to start by tackling the area nearest to the Sports Centre, which is more grassy.
Seven volunteers spent an enjoyable morning pulling out Creeping Thistle (cirsium arvense), and some nettles. Thistles are a good nectar source for bees and butterflies, but they are also an opportunistic weed, and spread by seed and by underground runners. Our aim was to reduce the numbers in the grassy bank, rather than to eradicate them. There are still thousands flowering on the mound itself. Our next step is to cut the grass in September. Any volunteers?
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