PRACTICE MEET, BOARSHURST, DECEMBER 2025

Practice Meet: 14th December 2025

Venue: Boarshurst, Greenfield

Conditions: Slightly chilly with a mixture of light showers and dry spells.

A strong team of 11 members braved the unpredictable December weather to round off the year at one of our member’s sites in Greenfield, Saddleworth.

Thankfully, this particular site is a lovely, relatively flat spot, tucked away beneath the impressive hills of Greenfield. It offers a welcoming sense of shelter for our members and even boasts its own impressive greenhouse. A big thank you to Mike and his family for decorating the greenhouse and adding to the Christmas spirit of the practice meet — it looked wonderfully festive!

Branch members continued work on the perimeter wall, which Mike had already been tirelessly building. What a marvellous job he has done so far. With solid foundations and several courses of stone already in place, the team set about extending the wall further. Despite the chilly conditions, progress was swift and steady.

By 11:30am, the irresistible smell of bacon sizzling on the barbecue lured the eager wallers away from their work — they simply couldn’t resist any longer! A huge thank you to Paul Clayton and Paul Stevenson for grilling more than 40 pieces of bacon. The bacon butties were enjoyed undercover in the cosy warmth of the greenhouse, accompanied by plenty of chatter and laughter. There was certainly a festive cheer in the air.

After brunch — albeit feeling slightly fuller — the gang returned to continue building the 10-metre-plus section of wall, laying further foundations as they went. Before long, the festive celebrations resumed with an afternoon break featuring alcohol-free fizz and delicious mincemeat Christmas cakes made by our very own “Mary Berry”, Paul Clayton. Once again, he exceeded expectations — the cakes were outstanding.

What a lovely way to end the year!

Bev Watson