Upcoming dates:
11th August 2026: More Himalayan Balsam bashing at Thatchmoor Beck
20th September 2026: Mayor’s Autumn Fete
26th September 2026: Kendal Nature Recovery Festival
Recently we have:
July 2026: Cleared the Dancing Green in Serpentine Wood.
The Dancing Green is a charming spot, home to letters X, Y and Z of the Alphabet Trail, but it does get very overgrown. We cleared the vegetation from the surrounding rock ledges to make the space more welcoming.
July 2026: Pulled out Himalayan Balsam.
The river Kent is kept clear of invasive Himalayan Balsam by constant vigilance, and we have been helping remove balsam from Thatchmoor beck, a tributary of the Mint, with other volunteers, for South Cumbria Rivers Trust.
June 2026: Cleared footpaths in Serpentine Wood.
At this time of year, the many footpaths in Serpentine Wood can become choked with brambles, nettles and other vegetation. Our efforts to clear them are always much appreciated – Serpentine Wood is very popular and well-used.
May 2026: Finished the re-staking of tree saplings at Judith’s Fields.
This work has been going on since the winter; the tree guards in the hedge have been carefully removed and reused to protect the saplings planted in the field, and the stakes have been straightened and knocked into the ground where needed. It sounds easy but there are nearly 400 trees!
April 2026: Repaired the Alphabet Trail sign at the entrance to Serpentine Wood.
The sign is made of metal, about 60 cm high, and displays the whole alphabet for the confused. It had been attached to a tree which was unsafe and was felled. Since there were no longer any suitable trees at the entrance, we begged a telegraph pole from a friendly supplier and erected it (with some difficulty!) at the gate into the wood. Digging a deep enough hole was the first challenge, as a lot of Serpentine Wood is right on the bedrock. Also the pole was very heavy and had to be moved into place with slings and many hands.
March 2026: Rebuilt the poly tunnel at Dog Kennel Wood
This was badly needed – the old poly tunnel was 20 years old and in poor condition with a lot of patches. We kept the old metal frame, but replaced the wooden door frames both ends and the plastic sheeting. This comes as a single sheet and needed all hands to unroll it evenly across the frame. Then the plastic was secured at the sides by a trench lined with stones and earth.
February 2026: Repaired a semi-collapsed drystone wall at the back of Dog Kennel Wood
This work was needed after several small dead ash trees had to be felled in the area, and the wall got damaged. It’s slow painstaking work.
January 2026: Hedgelaying at Jubilee Field in Kendal
This was an old hedge that had got a bit out of hand. Westmorland and Funess Council were happy for us to give it a trim.
