On Sunday 26 October, Conway Rec was beautifully Autumnal in Conway Rec. The day was cool, but still, and the sun shone for most of the morning, illuminating the lovely browns, reds and golds of the leaves. It was the perfect day for a bit of Reccing.
We had wonderful support. Our volunteers numbered 24, including four young people, one embarking on his Duke of Edinburgh Award journey, two expert litter pickers and one, a near neighbour, who is now twice as tall as when he began Reccing with his mum and dad more than ten years ago.
Lots of effort went into clearing the Council’s and or own grass strimmings, filling compost corner and providing potential mulch for the stately oak trees. Raking went on most of the morning, with bulrush cut-back, hedge pruning, weeding and path sweeping all contributing to a generous pile of green waste for Council collection. Many barrows were wheeled.
The barley boom was removed from the pond and will be renewed as Spring approaches. Bulbs were planted in various spots. Flower beds were weeded and cleared and intrusive growth was removed from the pond edging, which was also swept to reveal its stonework (which we plan to secure and restore).
Much work also went on in compost corner, where the wooden containers needed reshaping to accommodate an unusually large input of cuttings.
And, to restore some of the energy expended on hard Reccing, our volunteers managed to find a few moments to sit, chat, quench thirst and munch a slice or two of homemade cakes. It was an absorbing morning, in many respects.