25/04/18 - Aviva/HSBC lend a hand

On Tuesday this week along with being joined by our regular team of volunteers, we also hosted a corporate work day for the staff from the Aviva branch in York. With an additional 20 willing pairs of hands, along with our team, the groups got stuck into a range of tasks around the reserve. Some of the team helped with track repairs on the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve at Wheldrake Ings - carrying out improvements (following the prolonged spring flooding), for the many visitors that frequent the site. Other team members helped with the ongoing construction of bird boxes as part of a joint project with the Canal and Rivers Trust and Ad Astra (more information can be found on the CTR website with upcoming events along the Pocklington Canal). Further help in collecting and processing this year’s logs supplies was also gratefully received, helping us raise much needed financial assistance for forth coming projects on the reserve this autumn. Many thanks to everyone for their efforts on the day, especially when the weather turned against us! Hopefully see you all again back in the valley for another day later in the year – and for anyone else who might be interested in coming along with their company/or just as an individual then please feel free to get in touch.

The following day we were also delighted to host a corporate work day for staff from HSBC, travelling from different areas right across North Yorkshire, to join us for a day at the NNR base. Blessed with a lovely sunny morning, the day was started with a bird ringing demonstration, which was much enjoyed by everyone – several Goldfinch & Long-tailed Tits were particular crowd pleasers. As the sun beamed down, everyone soon worked up a sweat finishing the track repairs on Wheldrake Ings, processing timber and constructing the last of the bird boxes, and with so many extra pairs of hands we also managed to cut the paths and enhance the reserve base garden at Bank Island. Many thanks to everyone who attended on the day, and we’ll look forward to seeing you again in the autumn.