The branch is in good heart.
Skill levels within the branch are clearly improving and we have a steady trickle of new members and returners. Jacqui, one of our returners, came all the way from Australia; having completed a beginners’ course two years ago she was keen to resume walling when she got back to UK – she has joined the association and been a regular participant in all our activities over recent months. Very happily one of our members, Neil Beevor, has completed the Instructors’ Course and is now well on his way to fully qualifying as an instructor through the experience he will gain at our forthcoming training courses.
We have been keen to engage with our community which gives us a lot of positive feedback and our local media helps massively with our publicity. Following a taster session at Denshaw Church last year we will be running a course for them in September to help with their ongoing repairs to the church wall which is topped entirely with hundreds of hand-shaped triangular toppers.
Our two training courses in March and May were very successful. At Roundhill Farm, Dobcross, 18 trainees with the help of branch members built 30 m of solid stockproof wall. The course for Tameside MBC at Gorse Hall produced another 20m of new wall in the country park’s perimeter. From the course participants 6 have become members of the association.
We did have an interesting day for our Practice Meet at Burnedge Bent Farm in March. You might say a typical Pennine day – mist to start, then light rain turning to sleet followed by snow which cleared to leave blue skies and bright sunshine with steaming ground….MUD everywhere. By mid afternoon the atmosphere was gin clear with views to the Welsh hills across the Cheshire Plain.
The branch conduct a finger search to find the old foundation.
The task was to repair a huge gap in one of the 7’ shelter walls; given the conditions the branch did amazingly well to rebuild 60% of the wall. Great day – it had that St Crispin’s feel about it!
On one memorable mid-week session at Burnedge Bent Farm we were surrounded by Curlews trilling all day as they sought their nesting sites. As curlew numbers have fallen dramatically this was heartening but where have all the hares gone? ……not a sighting this year in our area.
Chris Bolshaw