Freya , Alex and Bethan 2021
How it started
In 2021 we were asked if we would undertake tasks with three girls from City of London Freemen's School. They wanted to do some volunteering as part of their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. This was a new venture for us as previously we had only worked on a Tuesday with let's say more "mature" people - i.e. mainly old men over 60! Nevertheless we started and the three girls - and their Mums - cleared away a huge amount of cuttings as shown in the picture above. Other tasks included painting the barn, pollarding invasive saplings, spreading chippings and a bonfire.
Since then, with Richard Wassell taking the lead, we have welcomed a succession of students to Rye Meadows working towards their Bronze Awards, and for two students, their Silver Awards as well.
The selection of photos below show the students who have helped us on Rye Meadows.
We are indebted to Richard Wassell for giving up an hour plus on a Saturday or Sunday to oversee these young people carry out the tasks allotted for the day. These are varied but essentially all help in the management of Rye Meadows and help fulfil Daphne Burnett's early vision to allow young people to experience conservation locally.