A lucky escape!

One of our loyal volunteers, Carol, alerted me to a field fire that had been very close to Aylmerton Surveyor’s Allotment. When I went to check it the next day, I found that the field was burned right up to the edge of the Surveyor’s Allotment, but the actual site was undamaged – a lucky escape.

But then I got to thinking about it: could it be a coincidence that the fire stopped at the edge of the reserve? Maybe the cooler temperature in the woodland had enabled the vegetation to remain greener and lusher, preventing it from catching fire.

Another reason for us to look after our woodlands and hedgerows, which can act as firebreaks in these increasingly frequent hot spells, as well as acting as windbreaks and wildlife refuges.

Val Stubbs

July 2nd 2026