BUSY WORK DAYS AT THE COPSE

In a hectic month, the Friends of Three Cornered Copse have had two busy work days. The first was on 23 March, which was Keep Britain Tidy's weekend for The Great British Spring Clean. Once again a small group of volunteers braved the cold weather and scoured the Three Cornered Copse for foreign bodies to load into our black sacks.

Fully equipped and helped by our new Park Ranger, Neil, we managed to fill several sacks with bottles, cans, plastics and, strangely, several items of clothing. The result was a collection of rubbish which, compared to previous years, was not a great deal. Could it be that today's park users are more diligent in taking home their rubbish? It's certainly true that compared to the other green spaces around our city, the copse gets away quite lightly these days, as far as small items of litter are concerned. The council's Tidy Up Team have filled trucks with litter and tippings from some of the other parks. There is still a problem with the disposal of garden and building rubbish in the copse, but that's not a concern for the Great British Spring Clean this year.

In our second work day, again assisted by Neil, we installed the first of our two, (long-awaited), information boards at the top of the copse. These boards were designed and printed many months ago, and inform new visitors something about the history and the evolution of the area that became Three Cornered Copse. The support posts took a considerable effort to erect, digging through tree roots and chalk to a decent depth. No concrete was used, just the chalk from the woods. The bitter cold winds hindered our activities, but finally the posts were in place and the team posed proudly for the photograph showing the completed project. The second of these boards will be installed once the house building has finished at the bottom corner, near the junction of Goldstone Crescent and Woodland Drive. This will probably be June or July this year.

At this time of year, our woodlands are coming into their best, with rapid plant growth and frantic bird life activity. The blossoms are come into bloom, and are well worth a look. If you have the chance to take a stroll through Three Cornered Copse, and if you reach the top corner, take a glance at our information board, and feel free to collect any litter you happen to find!

Simon Baxendale