Friends of Cock Road Ridge

26/05/2022

This is to formally declare that the Friends of C**k Road Ridge no longer exist. The dwindling number of volunteers has reached a state where there are no longer sufficient members to safely work on the Ridge. The council have been informed.

At the moment the original website has been removed, but at some future point it will be replaced with a free hosting website with a copy of the original content so that we have a historical record of what has taken place over the years.

Please don't ask any questions - there will not be anyone to respond.

Thanks to those of you who supported us in one way or another, it was always appreciated. We thoroughly enjoyed our time over 28 years of maintaining and improving the Ridge.

01/07/2019

Looks like someone had to walk home after roaming the Ridge! If you've lost keys, or know someone who has, get in touch with us and we'll pass on the message to the person who found them.

25/10/2018

We have to say a big thank you to Derek and Sheryl. The weather, illness and our dwindling numbers have meant The Friends of C**k Road Ridge haven't been able to get out on the Ridge as much as we would have liked.

Derek and Sheryl, members of the public, decided to clear the brambles away from one of our benches to make it accessible again (one of those items that was on our to-do list).

The bench is dedicated to Tom Leppier, and as the plaque on the bench says, he was a founder member and former Secretary of the Friends of C**k Road Ridge. Tom introduced and maintened the original C**k Road Ridge website and was extremely diligent as a Secretary. In fact he was a hard-working, witty and well respected member of the group. We still talk about him often.

Derek is Tom's son, so once again, thank you Derek and Sheryl!

12/03/2017

03/12/2016

On the 29th November, 2 of our team planted a Scots Pine on the Ridge. The Pine was donated by a lady who was keen to have it escape a large pot in her garden, so it could grow away.

Keep a look out for it - it's on the slope opposite the pond just to the side of the orchard.

13/11/2016

Here's a number of photographs taken from our last workday. They are all before-&-after photos where we tackled:

- cutting back growing vegetation around the pond.
- making paths more easily accessible by widening and cutting back.
- removing falling or drooping branches.
- covering up deep muddy patches near entrances with wood chippings.

It all helps our visitors enjoy more and makes it easier to access.

16/04/2016

We're on for today (Saturday 16th April). So we're meeting at the fish pond at 10.30am for litter picking. Some grabbers, bags, gloves may be available for anyone coming along.

07/11/2015

Workday (Saturday 7th November) cancelled. Had a quick chat this morning and agreed it was not suitable weather for the sort of work we're doing - working with power tools and other equipment in driving rain and mud can be dangerous as well as very difficult.

10/05/2015

Quite a productive session on the workday!

Splitting into 2 groups, one group took the two brushcutters and paved their way through some of the paths in the field at the Wraxhall Road end. These had become overgrown and impassable in places. The equipment made short work of that task.

The other group first tackled a vandalised bench in the middle field at the top of Steps Wood. Someone had sawn through one of the seat planks making it virtually unusable [see photo].

The plank, made of recycled plastic, was replaced quite quickly [see second photo].

That group then went on to saw up and remove a medium-size conifer that had fallen near Westons Way entrance.

Finally, we all came together for a big push on widening the gaps in a hedgerow in the Westons Way end field. The wide gap is needed so that the councils mower can get through to all fields. Otherwise we'll lose the paths since we don't have any equipment ourselves to keep them clear.

The final photo shows two of the group widening one of the gaps as well as clearing around one of the other benches.