March 2018
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News
15
In Brief
Andy and Dave with their new toy, ‘Robocut’, brought in to devour scrub
The path up to the Tump had several times been flooded with rapids of water going over the bridge path. Although we think that it can be beneficial at times to hold back some of the water (like a ‘leaky dam’), the water was running so fast that we thought a small child or dog might struggle to keep their footing, added to which we were unable to tell where the edge of the bridge was. These two potential issues persuaded us that we should clear the blockage. Green Gym returned an hour or so later and were amazed to see that the water level had already dropped by several feet. Green Gym spent a session ‘off-piste’ and headed to the path that runs alongside Braydon Avenue where, through pouring rain and hail storms, we removed several large blockages and five bags of litter. Although this is not
actually on the reserve, clearing it here just means that we don’t have to clear it downstream next week! As well as stream clearing and litter picking, we also cleared paths (well, David N did most of that), cut back bramble, made mud pies, cleaned maps and graffiti and drained paths. We also got to learn about water spirits, water pollution at Forty Acres and have possibly found someone who could bring to life our very own deity of the Three Brooks, Trolletheus! We stopped only for a quick cup of tea so that we could help Big Dave celebrate his birthday by eating all his cake for him. We then trundled back to the toolstore, litter picking Hawkins Crescent and Snowberry Close as we went. So, despite the rain and the hail, we had a pretty good day! You may have seen ‘the boys’ Andy and David on site with
their, now not so shiny, new toy ‘Robocut.’ If you haven’t seen Robocut in action, you’ve missed quite a spectacle. This piece of equipment (Andy declined to say how much it cost) is essentially a large remote controlled shredder which, a little like Pac-Man, devours everything in its path. The ‘new’ orchard (behind BSCS) doubled in size in just a few hours and, at Bowsland Meadow, the bramble and blackthorn didn’t stand a chance, with the result that the meadow has now returned to almost its original size and the ‘lost’ orienteering post has been found again. They also took him for a stroll along the edge of the paths around the bottom of Savages Wood and in just a few minutes cut back bramble that would have taken us hours to clear by hand. I know some groups consider it cheating bringing in equipment like this, but it does mean that we then have more time to spend on tasks that require a more delicate touch.
Bradley Stoke Vodafone store ceases trading
The Vodafone store at Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook shopping centre has closed down, with effect from the end of business on Monday 26th February. A Vodafone spokesperson told the Journal: “We are always looking to expand our presence on the UK high-street. Vodafone has three shops open in Bristol and we have just finished expanding our experience store in Bristol Cribbs Causeway. The Vodafone store staff who previously worked at the Willow Brook Centre branch have been deployed to other local stores that are most convenient for them.”
Ride On Cycles The Mobile Cycle Workshop That Comes to You Full range of servicing & repairs carried out by a City & Guilds quali�ied mechanic Contact Andy on: 01454 880872 07443 333219 andy@ride-on-cycles.co.uk www.ride-on-cycles.co.uk
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