Last updated March 8, 2020

Work Party News

18 June 2014

 

We installed two kissing gates between Netherwood Lane & Warwick Road just west of Chadwick End – a priority task SMBC asked us to do (not an ACWA path). This was a task Solihull MBC have been wanting to complete for some while.

 

Site 1 (Netherwood Lane) was in delightful countryside, with the lane mostly used by walkers and cyclist and having a wide grass verge to park our cars and spread out the materials and tools. Site 1 started work first, but had very solid concrete round the old stile posts which after hard work chipping very little off we changed plan to site the kissing gate a few inches back. Progress was then good, and with plenty of volunteers we started work on replacing the sleeper bridge forming a smooth path from the lane right through the kissing gate at the same time. With more help from the Site 1 team during the last stages all was completed at about 1:30pm.

One unusual small extra task – we found a geocaching cache under the old sleeper bridge. We kept it safe till all finished, and as a final task found a new hiding place and put the “treasure” there.

 

Site 2 (Warwick Road) looks like delightful countryside, but just past the stile or kissing gate is a main road. The task was basically a routine replacement of the stile, and although started last was finished much before site 1.

Another dry and sunny day made working a pleasure. All tasks were completed by 1:35pm, and all packed up by just about 1:50pm. Some of us then yet again went to the Peeping Tom pub and enjoyed a good lunch.