Today I helped out on one of the regular practical task days for the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Lower Aire Valley volunteers. This was held at Ledston Luck nature reserve, a small site a few miles north of Castleford. 
Over the coming months, improvements are being made to the site. To help manage the grassland, it is hoped to implement a grazing regime with a small number of cattle. To facilitate this, fencing and gates need to be installed and some of the footpaths improved or re-routed slightly. Our task for today was to finish installing a foot-bridge over a drainage channel, and to cut back some of the scrub and widen the pathway to allow access for contractors to install the fencing.
The day started off with a spot of rain, and this got more persistent, and heavier, as the day went on. However, we plodded on undeterred and managed to complete the tasks early.
Using loppers and hand saws, we managed to remove a swathe of around two meters of saplings and scrub from the path leading up to the plateau (top photo), opening up the path.
After fitting a strut under the bridge, we were able to lay the planks across and screw them in. The cross-rails/hand rail were then measured, cut and fixed onto the uprights.
Despite it being August, I was well and truly wet through and starting to get chilly by the end of the session. I was pleased to get home by mid-afternoon for a cup of tea and a steaming hot bath.
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