2006

2006 Diary

Published 31/12/2006 | By Peter

Friday 15th December: Christmas dinner at the Dolphin, Hursley.
Thursday 28th November: OBCG Committee meeting.
October: Wildflower and grass seed planting at the Wildlife Conservation Area.
Sunday 17th September: Working party preparing ground for seed planting.
Monday 11th September: Bonfire, just in time before rain arrived.
Saturday 9th September: Wildlife Conservation Area progress display at the OB 50 fête at the Battery.
Friday 8th September: Wildlife Conservation Area hay mown. This needed volunteers following the cutter and raking away the cut hay as fast as they could so that the cutter could see where he had been. The hay was then raked into rows to dry.
Sunday 3rd September: The Official Opening of the Wildlife Conservation Area by Parish Council Chairman Geoff Sharman was followed by a walk up to Yew Hill for joint picnic with Butterfly Conservation, to consume butterfly cakes, elderflower and blackcurant juice etc.
Sunday 27th, Bank Holiday Monday 28th and Tuesday 29th August: Weeding, watering, mowing working parties.
Thursday 17th August: OBCG Committee meeting to plan for the official opening day of the Wildlife Conservation Area.
Wednesday 16th August: Another watering session at the Wildlife Conservation Area.
Wednesday 26th July: In the morning a second round of selective spraying of surviving brambles by contractors. In the evening a working party met to do more emergency watering of young shurbs during what proved to be the hottest month in Britain since records began. More weeding and part of the meadow was hand-mown with shears to encourage lower plants.
Sunday 23rd July: A planned emergency watering party was called off after torrential rain yesterday, but the message did not get through due to disruption of Broadband by the lightning and some plants got some extra help anyway. Jusdt as well, as the effects of the rain proved to be minimal.
Monday 19th and Thursday 22nd June: More formal and informal work parties, watering and systematic weeding around young trees to reduce competition. Slow worms spotted. Drought threatens trees.
Monday 5th, Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th June: Evening weed bashing sessions on the Wildlife Conservation Area. Masses of nettles to pull.
Wednesday 24th May: Spraying by contractors to suppress unwanted nettles and brambles.
Monday 22nd May: AGM at St Mark’s Hall.
Tuesday 16th May: OBCG Committee meeting. At the CA the trees were doing well with just a couple of casualties but the area looked terrible as nettles were growing fast and quite a lot of brambles, and profuse growth of cleavers. A mixture of hand pulling and spraying was used to get matters under control. New field gate installed to provide access for mowing etc. 2006 Minutes (pdf)
Tuesday 18th April: 20 local Brownies planted a hawthorn hedge. Reported in the Hampshire Chronicle of 27th April.
Saturday 15th April: More bramble clearing and a bonfire.
Wednesday 12th April: More bramble clearing. OBCG received a grant from Hampshire County Council’s Hampshire Villages Initiative.
Sunday 12th March: Working party raking out roots in Wildlife Conservation Area meadow area
Thursday 9th February: The Hampshire Chronicle ran an article about the Wildlife Conservation Area project.
Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd January: More community planting.
Friday 13th January: More raking out of roots on Wildlife Conservation Area.
Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th January: Community Planting Days at the Wildlife Conservation Area. Over 30 local people joined in, planting shrubs and trees including hazel, hornbeam, whitebeam, field maple, spindle, guelder rose, crab apple, blackthorn and alder buckthorn.
Monday 2nd January: Work party on the Wildlife Conservation Area raked and burned bramble roots.

Display at OB 50 Fête

Published 09/09/2006 | By Peter

Photographs by: Norma Goodwin

Oliver’s Battery, 9th September 2006

The group mounted a display of photographs and information about the Conservation Area at the fête that was held to celebrate 50 years of Oliver’s Battery Parish.