Witchford Open Spaces Group

01/10/2026

**Witchford Open spaces group update**

Victoria Green to Briars End passage

The Open Spaces Group planted up this previously neglected patch of open space between Victoria Green and Briars End with lavender and guelder rose shrubs a few years ago. In a major tidy-up, after weeding the area our volunteers collected and spread wood chippings around the shrubs.

Victoria Green

In 2002 the Open Spaces Group with help from some of Witchford’s young people planted a lime tree on Victoria Green to commemorate Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee. Some of you may remember the event (pictured), also Terry King who carved the commemorative plaque. The plaque was taken in for much-needed restoration a couple of years ago, and now after a face lift it is back in place.

Sandpit Drove

Our volunteers in August made use of the waders purchased by the Parish Council in clearing encroaching vegetation in the pond and around the margins. The pond had been substantially dry until days before the operation so the availability of the waders was timely. We do this every two years to maintain open water, benefitting wildlife that needs these conditions, including the nesting moorhens, amphibians and dragonflies.

We also continued the wild flower meadow maintenance until the meadow was mown in mid-September by the Parish Council contractor. The mowings were taken off to encourage the new growth and to continue reducing the fertility of the meadow, which will improve conditions for wild flowers.

We will be back in the meadow in November with the programme of stripping squares of turf and sowing new seed onto the exposed soil.

The Open Spaces Group Tree Team

Our volunteers continued the watering of the most vulnerable of our recently planted trees until at last we had rain in late August and early September.

The newly established OSG ‘Tree Team’ has been meeting on a weekly basis since the first session held at the end of August on the Common, when wood chippings dropped by ECDC were spread around the nearby trees. More on the Tree Team activities in the next Update.

If you would like to join us on Tuesday or receive further details about the Team, please contact Jill on [email protected] or Richard (see below).



Witchford Open Spaces Group volunteers maintain and improve sites throughout Witchford to encourage wildlife and for the enjoyment of the local community. We welcome new volunteers, young to not-so-young, at any time. Why not join us and make your contribution to Witchford’s biodiversity as well as enjoying the company of like-minded people? For more information about the Open Spaces Group and volunteering you can see us on the Witchford Parish Council website https://witchfordparishcouncil.gov.uk/open-spaces-group/ or contact Richard Braund on (e-mail [email protected]).

28/07/2026

Open spaces update:

Edna’s Wood

In June Open Spaces Group volunteers collected wood chippings and took them to Edna’s Wood where they were spread on the permissive path to reinforce the work done in May. More of the unwanted carpet squares were removed from tree bases, and taken out of the Wood for disposal. The bushes overhanging the path were trimmed back – it’s planned to carry out substantial coppicing along the path during the winter to let more light in.

Sandpit Drove

Wild flower meadow maintenance (cutting of mainly dock, hogweed and nettle plants and seed heads) has continued through June into July, while the meadow has been at its best. As the ox-eye daisies have finished, the meadow has been dominated by the purple of common knapweed and tufted vetch. However, the yellow of common birds-foot trefoil and lady’s bedstraw and the white of umbellifers yarrow and wild carrot are also evident. A relatively new entrant, meadow cranesbill, with its showy purple flowers continues to spread, and we have seen the return of the yellow spikes of agrimony, which disappeared for a few years.

Butterfly Walk

The July butterfly walk was again very successful despite the lower temperatures and a lively northern breeze on the day. Gatekeepers were by far the most numerous, with 65 individuals identified out of a total count of 140 individuals and 14 species. Next were meadow browns (18) and common blues (17). A speckled wood and a large white female were caught on camera.

The walks will continue in August – please contact Richard Braund if you would like to join us.

Tree Watering

Volunteers have been working hard through the hot, dry weather watering vulnerable trees, mostly those planted during the last winter season. Unfortunately it’s been a losing battle in some cases and trees have succumbed. Please do your bit to help save our trees. Our Tree Warden Jill has attached labels to many of the trees in need of water, so if you see one, please give the tree a few litres of water every few days – thanks!

Witchford Open Spaces Group volunteers maintain and improve sites throughout Witchford to encourage wildlife and for the enjoyment of the local community. We welcome new volunteers, young to not-so-young, at any time. Why not join us and make your contribution to Witchford’s biodiversity as well as enjoying the company of like-minded people? For more information about the Open Spaces Group and volunteering you can see us on the Witchford Parish Council website https://witchfordparishcouncil.gov.uk/open-spaces-group/ or contact Richard Braund on 665222 (e-mail [email protected]).

12/06/2026

Dear All,

We'll be carrying out woodland and footpath maintenance in Edna's Wood on Sunday 21st June, meeting in the Community Orchard.

We'll be spreading wood chippings in the wood, and to collect the chippings we'll meet at the chippings stack along Bedwell Hey Lane on Saturday 20th June. We'll do just one load so this should not take long.

Start on both days at 10 am.

We hope you can join us. If you don't know the locations please let me know.

Richard

11/05/2026

Dear All,

This coming Friday 15th May the Ely Local Group of the Wildlife Trust will visit Witchford for a tour of some of the green spaces managed by the Open Spaces Group and other volunteers.

This may be of particular interest to those of you who have more recently become involved with volunteering and managing our green spaces - though all are welcome (no need to be a member of the Wildlife Trust although the Trust would be pleased if you decided to join).

We'll meet at the Common at 7 pm and walk to the Millennium Wood, Fairchild Wood, Kevin's Place (by courtesy of Dianne Field) where we shall try to view some reptiles, the Community Orchard, Edna's Wood, Sandpit Drove and back to the Common. It will probably take at least 1½ hours.

Richard

06/05/2026

Dear All,

After the long period of dry weather, we're counting on getting wood chips into the Old Rec Community Orchard to place on Footpath 1 in Kevin's Place and on the Permissive Path in the adjacent Edna's Wood.

The collection date will be Sunday 3rd May, meeting at 10 am at the woodchip pile off Bedwell Hey Lane. The weather forecast is not great for Sunday, but most of the rain (hopefully) will be in the early hours. We'll load up the woodchips and take them to the Community Orchard and leave them there to be spread on the paths.

We'll spread the chippings on Sunday 10th May, meeting at 10 am in the Community Orchard by the picnic table.

Apologies for the short notice, especially for this coming Sunday, but I've only just been able to secure the source of wood chippings.

We hope you will join us for either session (or both?). If you're not sure of the locations please let me know.

Richard

27/04/2026

*Open Spaces Group Update April 2026
Sandpit Drove*

In March our Open Spaces Group volunteers tended to the 20 assorted native shrubs planted in 2018 between the pond and the meadow in Sandpit Drove by removing the old tree guards and stakes. They had served their purpose and were impeding the growth of the shrubs.
A pair of moorhens has returned to the Sandpit Drove pond, we hope so they may breed there as they and their predecessors have for several years now. Volunteers placed a sign at the pond to remind dog owners not to allow their pets to enter the pond, and avoid disturbing the moorhens and other wildlife especially at breeding time. We also cut back some of the vegetation around the pond and at the silver birch tree planted to mark the Brownie centenary.
Notices were placed to ask the public to stay on the footpath whilst walking through the adjacent wild flower meadow. These have since been the focus of vandals; one has been damaged and repaired but the other has been removed (photo) and will be replaced. The cowslips in the meadow were already flowering during March, and in April are in profusion.

*Community Orchard*
OSG volunteers have pruned 42 hard fruit trees in the Community Orchard, mostly apple and pear trees, but including one quince tree. This is not pruning to professional standards to maximise fruit production! It is to keep the trees more compact, and mainly to avoid congestion and maintain an open crown to keep the tree healthy.
We attached a further 15 engraved labels, now totalling 71. The only fruit trees not now labelled in this way are the most recents plantings. We also reinforced tree guards to protect the trees against damage by mammals such as deer and hares, a very real threat even when the trees are ten or more years old.

*Field End Hedge*
The 47m-long hedge planted along the road verge by OSG volunteers in 2023 was cut during March. The volunteers also removed weed-suppressing membrane placed at the time of planting, no longer required as the hedge is now sufficiently mature.

*Edna’s Wood*
OSG volunteers cut the 135m-long boundary hedge of Edna’s Wood in March, and removed from the wood the carpet squares previously taken up from around the trees.

Witchford Open Spaces Group volunteers maintain and improve sites throughout Witchford to encourage wildlife and for the enjoyment of the local community. We welcome new volunteers, young to not-so-young, at any time. Why not join us and make your contribution to Witchford’s biodiversity as well as enjoying the company of like-minded people? For more information about the Open Spaces Group and volunteering you can see us on the Witchford Parish Council website https://witchfordparishcouncil.gov.uk/open-spaces-group/ or contact Richard Braund on 665222 (e-mail [email protected]).

14/03/2026

Dear All,

There are two upcoming sessions to note. The first is for Sunday 22nd March, when we will meet at the pond in Sandpit Drove. The main activity will be removing the now defunct tree guards wrapped around the native shrubs that OSG volunteers planted between the pond and the meadow in 2018. They have become unsightly and unwanted plastic waste that are inhibiting the shrubs' growth. There are also other tasks: around the pond, trimming of vegetation and placing of notices, and in the meadow, control of dominant and unwanted plant species.

The second is for Sunday 19th April in Fairchild Wood, to cut stakes, retrieve brash and create another dead hedge (as we did last summer in the wood). The dead hedge will be placed near the memorial bench, providing more valuable wildlife habitat. We will also plant a number of silver birches trees if the ground has dried out somewhat. We will meet in Long Meadow, at the entrance to Fairchild Wood.

Both sessions will start at 10 am - we hope you will join us.

Richard

09/03/2026

09/03/2026

*Community Orchard*

OSG volunteers restored the stock of fruit trees in the Community Orchard by planting three apple trees donated by East Cambs District Council. We now have 82 fruit trees, 11 cobnuts and two walnut trees in the Orchard, with two apple trees also donated by ECDC in reserve as future replacements.

We shall be in action again in the Community Orchard on Sunday 1st March from 10.00 am for hard fruit pruning and to attach a further 15 engraved tree labels.

*Tree Planting in Long Meadow*

During January our volunteers made openings in the east side boundary hedge of Long Meadow for planting trees within the thickness of the hedge. Five oak trees were duly planted, complete with stakes and tree guards.

*Kevin's Place and the Old Recreation Ground*

The annual clearance of brambles inside Kevin's Place was carried out by volunteers in January, maintaining the open space and the diversity of habitats. This ecosystem microcosm is a haven for wildlife as the trail camera installed during the summers of 2024 and 2025 showed. We had foxes, badgers, roe deer, muntjac deer, squirrels and rabbits, as well as a number of bird species captured in the images. We know from our observations that there are reptiles and small mammals present, and many invertebrate species.

We also cut the boundary hedge between Kevin's Place and the Old Recreation Ground, and cut back vegetation at the pond edge to improve visibility of the Deep Water sign.

*Edna’s Wood*

Many of the trees in Edna’s Wood have redundant plastic guards and carpet squares that date back to their planting. Some were removed in January by our volunteers, though the carpet squares will remain, for collection when we can get a vehicle nearby.

Some years ago an elm tree from a cutting taken from a Dutch elm disease-resistant elm tree was planted in Edna’s Wood. This tree has grown substantially and has produced a number of suckers, some of which we lifted for transplanting elsewhere in Witchford next winter.

Finally we carried out some repair work placing stones and gravel on the the muddier parts of the permissive footpath through the wood.

Witchford Open Spaces Group volunteers maintain and improve sites throughout Witchford to encourage wildlife and for the enjoyment of the local community. We welcome new volunteers, young to not-so-young, at any time. Why not join us and make your contribution to Witchford’s biodiversity as well as enjoying the company of like-minded people? For more information about the Open Spaces Group and volunteering you can see us on the Witchford Parish Council website https://witchfordparishcouncil.gov.uk/open-spaces-group/ or contact Richard Braund on 665222 (e-mail [email protected]).