News from the Lancashire Branch is “thin” at this time. Sadly, the restrictions imposed have greatly reduced our walling activities this first half of the year. May saw the first Branch Practice meet of the year albeit with limited numbers and fortunately we were able to hold our June meet up although once more numbe rs had to be restricted.
More encouragingly we are optimistic that our Training Courses will be re-started and the good news is that of the many who had booked most have simply deferred which has meant that our revised schedule will be at allowable capacity. The loss of training course income has been a concern because we know the impact this has nationally. From a local point of view, it has meant that our support to Dr Kershaw’s local hospice has also been severely dented and such valuable institutions are needed now, perhaps more than ever.
While nothing beats a good get-together, it is great to report that our WhatsApp group is very active and helps keep everybody in touch.
Alongside the regular culinary chats there have been frequent wildlife discussions. Deer have been cropping up in the most unusual places and at our last meet we even found a baby rabbit “nesting” at the bottom of a wall we were taking down. We removed it carefully and released it away from our workings and hopefully the wee kitten came to no harm.
The expectation that our Practice Meets can continue and courses re-start has provided a much- needed lift to Branch members and hopefully the remainder of the year will see Lancashire Branch doing what it should be doing – building and repairing a few more walls.