A hard working team of volunteers from HSBC in Douglas recently spent a day helping the Manx Wildlife Trust repair one of the tracks within the nature conservation charity’s Goshen Nature Reserve.
Maintained by the Trust purely for its varied habitat and wildlife value and so not currently open to the public, Goshen covers 42 acres of species-rich hay meadow, developing woodland, rough grassland and curragh, and forms part of the Ballaugh Curragh Area of Special Scientific Interest. The flora on the reserve comprises a diverse range of meadow and wetland plants, including various species of orchid, yellow rattle, purple loosestrife, eyebright, yellow iris and knapweed, whilst notable fauna includes the Manx robber fly, hen harrier, curlew and corncrakes... and wallabies!
The track repaired by the volunteers from HSBC effectively divides the reserve into two blocks, both of which contain meadows that are managed by a cut for hay in late summer, followed by winter grazing with sheep to ensure an annual, early summer profusion of wildflowers. Unfortunately, the track had become deeply rutted in a number of places due to heavy rain and the Trust’s Reserves Officer, Tricia Sayle, was keen for restoration work to be carried out before this year’s hay cut is due.
Having carried out a number of practical tasks for the Manx Wildlife Trust in recent years, the HSBC volunteers were keen to take on the challenge and moved a mini-mountain of stone and soil to fill in the ruts to allow for tractor access. As well as providing the team of enthusiastic volunteers, the Bank also kindly funded all of the necessary materials. In addition, a couple of the volunteers also helped with a bit of bracken bruising in an attempt to curtail this invasive species’ progress across one of the meadows.
Commenting on the day’s activities, Kevin Cartledge, Senior Manager, HSBC Isle of Man, said, “As a Gold Corporate Member of the Manx Wildlife Trust, the Bank is delighted to support employees to volunteer to provide practical support to the charity. We have carried out a number of varied projects with the Trust which are very popular with our employees, and we have already committed to another project in the autumn which will again provide hands-on experience of the charity’s invaluable nature conservation work.”
Photo - left to right - Lydia Gray, Cathy Mitchell and Sharon Docherty.
