Shipton Volunteers

Shipton Volunteers

Shipton Volunteers

The Shipton Volunteers have been going since 2007 and are aim is to maintain, enhance and improve aspects of the village.

There are two morning sessions held each month. We meet at 9am and finish around 11.00 to 11.30am, that includes a coffee break with home made goodies!! Participation is welcomed for just part or all of each session. Tasks performed are varied and accommodate all levels of energy and skill. It’s a great way of meeting new people.

The scheduled dates for 2024 are as below, but are subject to change:

  • February – Friday 16th
  • February – Saturday 17th
  • March – Friday 22nd
  • March – Saturday 23rd
  • April – Saturday 13th – Wild Garden working party
  • April – Friday 19th
  • May – Friday 17th
  • May – Saturday 18th
  • June – Friday 21st
  • June – Saturday 22nd

If you would like to join us or learn more about the Volunteers please get in touch with Carole Arnold.
Telephone: 07545 475560
Email: carole@caa-accounting.co.uk

 

September

Friday 1st  – Seven of us met and cleared the footpath from the cricket ground round to Tall Trees. We then made a start on Plum Lane.

Saturday 2nd – Three of use met and finished off Plum Lane and cleared a few drains.

 

July

Friday 21st July – Eight, of us met and weeded the path on the corner of the A361/Milton Road junction working round towards the post office. We also worked on the village green around the road wall and monuments.

 

 

June

Friday 24th –  Nine of us met at the church to clear the railings of weeds/overgrowth, ready for their painting by others.

Friday 30th – Five of us met and weeded the path outside the NBH, including the water feature by the Wychwood Inn. We also cleaned the gutters in the grounds of the NBH.

Before                                                                                   After

 

 

May

Friday 19th –  seven of us met on Simon’s Lane. We did the usual weeding, redefining the pathway and clearing the stream. This year we managed to get further up the lane with two strimmers in action.

Saturday 20th  – five of us met at the allotments. With more strimming, plus a bonfire to get rid of March’s rubbish, as well as weeding under the orchard apple trees.

 

April

Saturday 22nd – Seven of us helped with the Wild Garden working party.

Friday 28th – Seven of us met at the church, where we did some more ivy removal from the lime trees and from the outside wall. We also cleared the paving area at the front of the church.

February

Friday 17th – Seven of us met to work round the church yard. We managed to get through quite a bit of work that morning including:- removal of one big fallen branch; clearing two pathways from leaves/debris; removing grave side rubbish; cutting back some bushes; cutting away ivy from the lime trees; removing suckers from the bottom of the lime trees.

Saturday 18th February – Five of us worked on Mawles Lane. We shovelled back the vegetation that was encroaching onto the road and made sure there was a clear run to the drains. We also cut back overgrowth getting close to the road and removed ivy from a couple of the larger trees at the top of the lane.

Around the church

Mawles Lane:

January

Friday 20th – Five of us did our annual pruning of ivy, blackthorn, brambles and sucker shoots down the Swinbrook Road. It’s one of those areas if we can do each year, the job isn’t too bad.

Saturday 21st – Seven of us met at the allotment. The compost bin area has deteriorated over the last couple of years as the timbers have started to rot. We started clearing that area in readiness for a new structure. It was a still day, so we got a bonfire going and burnt some rubbish and skipped the balance. The aim is to return in March to start the construction of the new compost bin area.

September

On Friday 23rd, eight of us met to tidy up the bushes around the New Beaconsfield Hall and to clean and remove branches away from various road signs near to the hall. On the Saturday four of us tackled some more road signs. We did a circuit from A361 Ascot Road junction, along Mutton Lane, Five Ways, down Plum Lane and back up Mawles Lane.

 

June and July

During these two months we did four sessions weeding round the village:

  • On 24/06/2022 – four of us met and worked round the zebra crossing and bus stop opposite the Wychwood Inn. We also trimmed one piece of hedgerow by the NBH, that was restricting pedestrians walking on the path
  • On 09/07/2022 – six of us met and did between Ascot Road and Plum Lane on the east side of the road
  • On 29/07/2022 – nine of us met and worked round the village green and a short bit of the west side of the A361.
  • And lastly on the 30/07/22 – four of us met and did the corner of the Milton Road working towards the St Michaels store (which included taking out head high brambles)

Friday 27th and Saturday 28th May 2022

On Friday, ten of us met on Simons Lane to redefine the pathway by removing weeds and encroaching turf. We also worked on the stream, removing weeds and excess mud that improved the stream flow considerably.

On Saturday six of us met in the church grounds. Time was split between the two sides of the Church Walk. On the cemetery side, some of the graves were weeded, along with a general tidy up. On the other side, the wood chipping pile created from the fallen tree , were spread out under the trees.

 

Friday 18th and Saturday 19th March 2022

On Friday ten of us met to do the litter picking, we collected over 20 bags of rubbish and covered Station Road from Lyneham junction, around NBH/Meadow Lane, A361 from Tall Trees to Upper End, Ascot Road/Mutton Lane, Leafield Road and B4437 from A361 junction towards Swinbrook Road.

On Saturday 5 of us met at the allotments and got rid of all the rubbish we had accumulated from previous volunteer activities, either on the bonfire or in the skip. We also had a general tidy up around the compost bin area.

 

Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd January 2022

Friday eight of us worked along Swinbrook Road. We trimmed back hedges, ivy and brambles from the lower end of the roadside, a stretch we have managed to keep on top over the last few years. We were also able to work on some of thick ivy growing by the allotment entrance, an area we have struggled to get to recently.

Saturday seven of us worked down Mawles Lane. We started at the top end and worked down the hill. The main objective was to re-widened the road by shovelling back the mud that had dropped from the roadside over that last few years. We managed to scrap back a good 1 metre on both sides of the road. We also trimmed back loose over hanging branches and cleared around the upper drains.

 

 

 

 

Shipton Under Wychwood Parish Council