Lockdown and the subsequent restrictions posed some problems for us. During Spring and Summer we would usually be attending community events to spread the word about our wonderful mosses and fundraise. There are also vital habitat management tasks that our volunteers would complete, but these fell behind schedule while full lockdown was in place. Once we allowed back we then had the problem of how to work in a Covid safe way. While distancing is easy on the moss (we could have 10 hectares of space each if we wanted!), we didn’t have enough tools and gloves for everyone to use without sharing.

Thankfully, the John Spedan Lewis Foundation ran a generous grants scheme this Summer, which our successful application to has provided us with the funds to provide each volunteer with their own spade, bow saw or loppers, and plenty of gloves, as well as enabling us to buy some more bog plants from Princes Park Garden Centre to improve the habitat.

We’ve also been able to make some small improvements to security around the site with this funding, although this has been an ongoing battle throughout the year. As proper use of the reserves has increased, so has improper use. If you see any off road vehicles on site, or damage to the entrances, please report it to the police and let us know.

Thank you to the John Spedan Lewis Foundation