Special Volunteering Day – Barclays
Castle Wood Meadow
Friday, 9 October 2026
Last Friday, three of our Woodland Conservation Leaders returned to Castle Wood Meadow to continue the maintenance and restoration work they began with Barclays' volunteers around 18 months ago. Fifteen volunteers turned out, including two who had joined us previously and encouraged their colleagues to come along. What a fantastic response! Together, they helped contribute a combined total of 100 volunteer hours to caring for this beautiful meadow, helping to maintain its valuable habitat, and keeping the pathways safe and accessible.
The weather couldn’t have been better for the task. Mild temperatures, glorious sunshine for much of the session and a gentle breeze made for ideal working conditions. Even the forecast rain obligingly held off until we had finished!
Three Groups, Three Activities
Group 1 – The Meadow
This area has been grassland for approximately 150 years, making it a valuable habitat that supports a wide variety of wildlife. Saplings were growing throughout the meadow and needed to be cut back by volunteers before they became too large to manage easily by mowing. This will help prevent the grassland from gradually becoming overgrown with scrub.
Other volunteers tackled the path rising along the left-hand side of the meadow. They used loppers to cut back overhanging branches and trim shrubs, then shovelled away vegetation encroaching on the edges of the tarmac path. In places, they revealed up to a metre of previously hidden pathway, improving both safety and access for walkers.
Group 2 – Removing Invasive and Competitive Species
The second group focused on removing invasive and competitive plants from the ecotones – the transition zones between different habitats, such as woodland and meadow. These areas can support a rich diversity of wildlife, including species associated with both adjoining habitats. However, if woodland or scrub spreads unchecked into the meadow, it can reduce the variety of habitats available and lead to a loss of biodiversity. Keeping these transition zones in good condition is therefore an important part of our conservation work.
This team spent the day removing cherry laurel, holly, sycamore and snowberry, all of which can spread and compete with other plants. By reducing shading and preventing these species from becoming dominant, the volunteers helped to protect the diversity of the meadow margins.
Group 3 – Opening Up Green Chain Walk Access to the Meadow
After an initial hour spent cutting back branches encroaching on the path immediately below Rose Cottage, which forms part of the Green Chain Walk, volunteers turned their attention to the path surface itself. Using spades and shovels, they first identified the edge of the path and then set to work removing turf that had accumulated over the tarmac. Along the right-hand stretch, they uncovered between half a metre and a metre of pathway, as well as a buried manhole!
It was also important to cut back vigorous brambles and nettles spreading over the path edges and creating potential trip hazards. Despite wearing thick gardening gloves, several volunteers suffered nettle stings and a few prickled fingers along the way.
The team worked so enthusiastically – and so quickly, despite being encouraged to pace themselves – that by lunchtime they had almost, though not quite, run out of energy. After their break, they returned to the task, removing nettles growing alongside the sloping path leading from Castle Wood Rose Garden.
The improvement to access was impressive, although there is still more to do. The team had also hoped to clear the edge alongside this section of the path, and some volunteers were keen to tackle the stretch beyond it too. Unfortunately, as might be expected, time – and energy – eventually ran out!
Another Excellent Volunteering Day
All in all, this was another excellent volunteering day with the Barclays' team. We are hugely grateful for their continued support and commitment to improving these wonderful woodlands.
This was their final session of 2026, but guess what? We are already organising further sessions together in 2027!
Thank you, Barclays. You are always very welcome!
