A Marshy Work Party at Stow Heath

Shortly after arriving to prepare for our corporate work party with the volunteers from Marsh Insurance, Trevor and Ed headed down to the pond area to assess the work to be done, while John and I began unloading the tools from the cars. Trevor and Ed had only just disappeared from sight when there was a loud crash.  John and I looked at each other and looked up startled. What had Trevor done now? At this second, a Red Deer doe galloped out of the undergrowth - wow!

Once the volunteers had arrived, Trevor briefed everyone on the tasks for the day and gave out health and safety guidance. Then we set off to start work.

Trevor led a small group in constructing a couple of benches so that there would be somewhere for us to sit for our coffee break. This proved to be quite a challenge, due to thick tree roots right where the legs needed to go. But the team was not to be defeated and one bench was ready in time for the break, with the second completed soon afterwards.

The majority of the group headed down to the marshy area. While Ed and John constructed a ‘corduroy pathway’ out of logs to create a launching point for the boat, the rest of the team moved a pile of brash and logs out of the way, using the thicker bits to extend one of our existing corduroy paths over a boggy patch, while the twiggy bits were piled up to make shelter for mammals and birds. Then the real business of the day started. Using the boat as a platform, Ed began chain-sawing the fallen trees in the big watery patch that will one day become a pond. The larger trunks were then winched out of the water, while smaller ones were pulled out with much heaving and hoeing, as many of the branches were intertwined.

At times this was a precarious activity, with people balanced on logs above the squelching ooze or almost up to the top of their wellies in the stinking black mud. There was a great sense of achievement as each tree was hauled clear. The purpose of all this action was to allow more light to reach the surface, and to create a large expanse of open water. Those who were not on tree removal duty lugged away the trunks and branches, as usual creating logs for use in crossing the muddiest areas, while the brash was either added to the habitat pile or used to mark the edges of the paths. Some of the group used crome rakes and shovels to begin the task of removing the leaf mould and sticks that have accumulated in the water over the past few decades. This will increase the depth of the water.

One o’clock meant lunchtime, and we sat together on the newly completed benches, enjoying our sandwiches, the sound of birdsong and the cheerful chatter of a group with a sense of purpose and cameraderie.

After lunch, the woodworking group moved on to the first phase of a project to fence part of our boundary. This involved banging in six-foot fence posts, carefully aligning them between the boundary Oaks, as well as ensuring they weren’t ’on the huh’. For the rest of us it was back to the mire for more of the same.

At the end of the afternoon, all rather tired and grubby, we repaired to The Goat for a well-deserved drink and some chips. A big thank you to all the Marsh volunteers - Gavin, Julie, Lauren, Mike, Kelly, Liz,  Keelan, Debbie and Anna - for their cheerful hard work to improve the habitat and biodiversity in this lovely pocket of Norfolk.

Val Stubbs

April 10th 2025