Gates, fences, paths, ditches all need constant maintenance on the Exe Estuary reserves. Cattle are needed to keep grass short to provide a suitable habitat for waders, geese and ducks (star species of Exminster and Powderham Marshes) but they are clumsy and heavy creatures. Having a good old scratch on a post or gate means that the weekly and residential volunteers are constantly busy fixing things.
A few weeks ago I discovered a gate with a missing bottom hinge. Thinking it dislodged by a cow I estimated it would be a five minute job to fix. Next time I was passing I went armed with hinge and lump hammer happy in the thought that I would be able to cross another job off the board on my return to the office. I should have learnt my lesson by now that estate management jobs are never as simple as they first appear. On trying to hammer the hinge in I discovered that the gatepost was completely rotten. No ticking off of things on lists for me that day.
The following Thursday four keen volunteers, David, Barry, Tanya and Bill arrived to find out their job for the day was to rehang the gate. Again, experience should have forewarned me that the job would take twice as long and be twice as tricky as I first thought. We were quick off the starting blocks and the removal of the rotten post was relatively painless as was the digging in of the new one. With a false sense of confidence I promised more hedgelaying in the afternoon only to find that due to a mixture of old and new hinge parts and school girl errors rehanging the gate was not going to be straightforward. So the volunteers had to use their brains as well as their brawn to get the job done. This entailed undoing of work already done, some lateral thinking and a fair degree of brute force but we did it!! We didn’t have time to do anything else but it was a good day’s work and everyone stepped up to and enjoyed the challenge.
In between digging, hammering and scratching our heads I asked the volunteers why they turned out on a weekly basis in all weathers to help out on the reserve.
David an old BTCV colleague of mine from Exeter replied “I enjoy the company, fresh air, chopping down trees, hanging gates. It’s very different from office life.”
Barry and Tanya from Torquay volunteer for many organisations in Devon. Barry said that “Basically it gives you a reason to get up in the morning, keeps you fit and healthy and at the end of the day you feel like you’ve achieved something.”
Tanya added “I like learning new skills like hedgelaying, hanging gates, planting trees on a Devon hedge bank at Labrador Bay. I like meeting new and different people. And having fun is really important as a volunteer. Working hard and playing hard and above all getting up close and personal with wildlife”.
Maintaining the reserve relies heavily on residential and weekly volunteers and I am continually inspired by and more than appreciative of the level of commitment people are prepared to give.