Working Party 21 December 2017
The team: Clive Bostle, Graham Farrell, Glyn Hayter, Roy Pritchard, Peter Lee-Smith, Alan Saunders, Geoff Smith, Mike Taylor, Geoff Thould, Derek Williams
The last working party of the year found ten of Santa’s helpers keen to put the final pieces into the jigsaw puzzle that is called the Round Evesham Walk.
We arrived at Oxstalls Farm, Graham looking quite disappointed that the weather was dry having been christened on the previous outing.
We were greeted by a herd of heifers in the field where we wanted to work so we had to be careful that they didn’t escape. They watched on as we put in a series of posts to mark the permissive way that has been created.
Mike, who has been a stalwart of previous incarnations of the Working Party, joined this one for the first time. Although he had swapped his spoon for a spade Mike still entertained us with his provocative observations.
George, from the WCC Countryside Team, was standing in for Louise but he didn’t forget the mince pies. Unfortunately, wires back at HQ were crossed and it was discovered that the kissing gate that George had been provided with was the wrong sort. This came as a blow and just like standing alone under the mistletoe (kissing gate, mistletoe... get it?) a dejected team had to remove the semi-installed gate. The wire fencing, which had been taken down, had to be put back, and holes dug, had to be covered against the possibility of walkers stumbling into them.
And so, like a kid who has unpacked a Christmas present only to find an important part missing, the team had to leave things unfinished and completion of the Walk will have to wait until 2018.
Glyn Hayter
P.S. Worcestershire C.C. rummaged around in their shed and found a suitable gate and delivered it to site. And so Alan, Clive, Graham F and Mike made a special trip out in January 2018 to install it and in doing so completed the preparation of the Round Evesham Walk.
