Burton Environment Group
A year in the life of BEG
Many of our activities are in direct response to situations occurring within the environs of Kirkburton and Highburton. Some tasks are driven by the demands of the seasons whilst others are one-off jobs which may help to preserve or develop particular features. The colder winter months are obviously not as busy as the warmer, growing seasons of spring and summer.
January 2023
When the weather allowed, volunteers were able to clear fallen leaves from footpaths and stairs, making the area much safer for all.
Some of our Duke Of Edinburgh volunteers helped to tidy the graves in All Hallows churchyard that have been adopted by BEG.
February
In between poorer weather conditions, our volunteers cut back ivy overgrowing onto pavements and had litter picks in some of the more popular places in our villages.
March
Always a busy month as foliage begins to thrive and sometimes needs to be controlled or trimmed to help it develop more strongly.
Our Duke of Edinburgh volunteers planted snowdrops on the adopted graves in All Hallows churchyard.
The grass growing around the exercise stations on the trim trail in the Community Field had its first strim of the year.
Members of our bio-diversity group planted over a hundred young trees, some to replace ones that hadn’t survived through the winter in our new hedge, and others to grow freely in an area at the far end of the field.
We also transferred three fruit trees from Low Town to the community orchard in the Community Field.
We took part in a national scheme – The Great British Spring Clean and held two litter picking sessions where members of the public of all ages joined us in clearing litter from some very untidy areas.
April
Members of the bio-diversity group planted out a variety of wildflowers they had grown from seed in different areas of the Community Field.
The grass in the community orchard and around the exercise stations has been strimmed again and mulch laid around the new trees.
Pupils from Kirkburton First School, Highburton First School and Kirkburton Middle School were invited to plant a tree representing their school in the Community Field. We hope they will visit their trees to watch them develop and grow.
Maintenance tasks such as clearing weeds from between the cobble stones near the mill pond are time consuming but a good turnout of volunteers can soon make a big difference.
The grass in the Memorial Gardens has been cut and shrubs have been trimmed.
A small group of BEG volunteers have taken on the task of refurbishing the village Christmas crib as it has become damaged over the years and is very heavy to manoeuvre. It will be completely rebuilt with new light fittings, a more lightweight and manoeuvrable housing and handles to aid lifting.
May to August
Moving into the busiest season for BEG volunteers, the warmer weather increases the growing rate and therefore the need for vigilant maintenance in all of our target areas.
May
The paved area around High Burton cross was beginning to look quite neglected and overgrown between the stone slabs so a team of volunteers crawled on their hand and knees to clear this area. The footpath down the side of The Smiths pub was also cleared of overhanging branches and thistles. The footpath from Moor Lane to the rec. was strimmed to allow easier access to that very narrow path.
The Memorial Gardens were given some special treatment with a thorough scarifying to remove the moss and dead grass embedded in the all the grassed areas. This allows the grass to grow more strongly and flourish. The hardest work is raking all the dead thatch away. Planted areas were tidied and cut back to encourage new growth. Although designated No Mow May we did eventually have to cut the grass in the Memorial Gardens as it grew so vigorously there was a danger of damaging our mower when we would be able to tackle it.
Our new brush cutter (purchased with a grant from the Parish Council) was put through its paces trimming back the thick brambles and metre high nettles which were encroaching the footpath around the Community Field and in the quarry to enable people to use the paths safely. A small 20 inch margin was cut along all paths.
BEG volunteers manned a stall at the Kirkburton Beer Festival Village fair with information about our work, a seed swap and some free plants which all proved very popular. Our new banner and logo were on display for the first time!
The grass in the Community Orchard had reached a metre high so the decision was taken to cut that down to enable access to the fruit trees for maintenance.
Our local Beavers borrowed our litter picking equipment for their very own litter pick around the scout hut and middle school field – well done all!
The quarry needed its usual tlc. including removing overgrowing weeds from all the steps from North Road, right up to Saville Park and in our wildflower borders. We also ensured the footpaths were accessible by removing encroaching brambles and overhanging branches and removed litter from various popular meeting places.
June
One of our volunteers, Ian, singlehandedly cleared the steps from George Street up to School Hill, a tiring job, especially in the heat!
The Memorial Gardens were given a really thorough tidy up including trimming all the shrubs, cutting grass and deadheading plants.
The steps from Slant Gate to Penistone Road regularly need to be cleared of fallen leaves, twigs and rubble to ensure safe passage so our volunteers gave this their attention in the scorching heat.
Some volunteers from our Bio Diversity sub-group cut a new area of grass in the Community Field to be used as a place to sit and enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of that area. Kirklees Council have promised to deliver some logs which can be used as seating in this new clearing.
A small group of members began to refurbish the crib which is displayed at Christmas time in the village. Essentially it needed a total rebuild and our skilled craftsmen put in great efforts to accomplish the task.
The heatwave in June encouraged all green areas to have growth spurts and yet again we needed to use our new brush cutter to remove the brambles and nettles from the edges of the paths around the Community Field whilst another work party strimmed an overgrown footpath from Riley Park to Low Town.
A huge branch broke from a tree on the edge of the mill pond in Burton Dean Park and fell into the pond, so volunteers spent time trying to remove some of the smaller limbs. Kirklees Council would need to remove the larger main branch. Litter was removed from the surrounding area and one brave volunteer waded through the stream to clear debris.
July
A special training session run by retired fruit farmer Keith Knox gave members the opportunity to develop and improve their fruit tree pruning skills. This will be put to good use in our own community orchard in the Community Field.
Vegetation grows exceedingly well at this time of year so work parties were held in various locations throughout the two villages in order to control shrubs, brambles, overhanging branches and various grasses that impeded safe passage along many pathways.
Some unseasonably hot, dry weather took its toll on the holly trees in the Memorial Gardens which shed both leaves and fruit giving an Autumnal appearance to the gardens. A massive clear-up operation was needed to return the gardens to their usual neat and tidy state including removing fallen dead leaves from the 100 stone sculpture.
Some donated saplings were planted in the community field and needed lots of water to help them settle in.
The paths around the Community Field needed encroaching brambles removing from the edges and long grass strimming from around the exercise stations. The usual litter pick was needed. All extremely hard work in the blazing sunshine – welcome to the green gym!
August
Clearing leaves from the steps in the old quarry is a job always appreciated by residents who use the paths to walk down into the village from Highburton. Again, path edges needed strimming and litter was removed including evidence of a very alcoholic party!
Extremely wet weather caused the cancellation of some of our work parties but our volunteers were ready for action as soon as the sun came out.
The Memorial Gardens were treated to a complete make-over with grass being cut, roses pruned, all bushes trimmed and borders weeded. It was good to see the green space in the gardens being enjoyed by North Kirklees Ramblers who stopped here for their well earned tea break one day.
Septebmer to December
As the growing season slows down, volunteers work hard to control the final growth spurts in our target areas and focus on keeping walkways safe by clearing accumulated leaves and fallen branches loosened by increasing storms and strong winds.
September
Using the flail and strimmers, the edges of footpaths in the Community Field and the area around the exercise stations were cleared to enable safe access. The flail is a large piece of equipment which resembles a heavy duty mower which needs careful handling but can clear away longer grass and thicker growth like nettles and brambles very efficiently.
A small flower bed on Moor Lane has been tended by two of our volunteers who are dedicated to ensuring it looks well maintained throughout the seasons. It was tidied and larger shrubs were pruned to help them survive the forthcoming harsh weather in this exposed position.
The warmer summer weather had encouraged a great deal of growth of the trees and ivy along the footpath on North Road. Volunteers made a good job of cutting back the ivy which was spreading across the pavement and removed lower tree branches which were causing pedestrians to step into the road to avoid them.
Members of the bio-diversity sub group completed work on digging a “scrape” in the damp woodland area in the Community Field. We hope this area will hold moisture and will encourage a different range of plants to grow which thrive in wet conditions. Volunteers have been raising suitable plants from seed and hope to plant them into their new home as soon as they become stronger.
October
Volunteers continued to work hard to keep all thoroughfares accessible throughout the villages and dedicated more time to keeping further parts of North Road clear for pedestrians. The small, but well used path from Riley Park down to Low Town was also given some much needed attention.
The overgrown steps from North Road down to Low Town were given their regular tidy up, ensuring encroaching brambles were removed to allow safe access.
Brambles were also causing problems along the pavement on Paddock Road where the pavement is quite narrow in places and volunteers spent a morning cutting them back to enable safer journeys along this route.
The volunteers who had been working on refurbishing the village crib were pleased to show that all the figures had been repaired, their electric connections renewed and were ready to be placed back in the crib.
November
This is always an extremely busy month for BEG as we prepare the Memorial Gardens for the Service of Remembrance. Even in poor weather conditions work has to be done to tidy the lawns, flower beds and footpaths. The benches are cleaned to display the “There, Not There” sculptures. Our 100 stone sculpture is a focal point and must be cleared of all dead leaves and also, slippery moss needs to be removed from the paths as lots of visitors attend the remembrance services. Children from our local schools have a service on the closest school day to Remembrance Sunday and a full service is held on Remembrance Sunday itself and we always ensure that not only are the gardens neat and tidy, but that appropriate tributes are placed in various areas of the gardens. Local craft groups and individuals have made and donated many hand-made tributes and the local uniformed groups made decorated discs to be hung in the trees, which some of the scouts hung around the gardens for us.
Volunteers continued to work at clearing overgrown ivy which was hanging from the taller walls along North Road and removed fallen leaves which had become compacted on the paths and steps in the old quarry.
Members of the bio-diversity sub group braved some very wet conditions to scatter Yellow Rattle seeds in areas of the Community Field where they intend to plant more home grown native wild flowers early next year. It is hoped that the parasitic yellow rattle will weaken the grass and allow our new plants to become established and thrive, increasing the bio-diversity in that area. A small team then planted various seeds and newly grown plants, mainly in the wetland area, including ragged robin, hemp agrimony, fetid hellebore, cowslips, sweet violets, woad, foxgloves, teasel, goats beard, bugle, fritillaries and anemones.
BEG members also join forces with other community groups within our villages and yet again helped to put up the Christmas lights in the village.
Despite freezing temperatures, our group’s electrician ensured that the newly refurbished crib was set up safely in its usual position in the Memorial Gardens ready for Christmas. It certainly looked good and was greatly appreciated by all who saw it, so, Well Done! To the “crib team”.
December
The extreme wet/frozen weather conditions halted all planned work parties in December giving our volunteers a well-earned break. They will all be back out again in January, helping to care for our two villages and improving our local environment.
If this snapshot of our various activities has interested you please find our page
Burton environment group – BEG on Facebook where there is a weekly update of our activities plus details of forthcoming work-parties which you are more than welcome to join.
We’d love to hear your feedback so don’t hesitate to contact us.
