Sherborne Dates for the Diary

On Sunday 7 Sep, I’d like to ask for volunteers to help clear the drainage system under the road and the “grip” at Moors Copse. This is a crucial piece of road run-off management where we can prevent silt entering the brook and filling the Broadwater. The system is in place but requires a little maintenance.

At the bend in the road, about 300m North of Waterloo Bridge on the road to Bourton, the road skirts Moors Copse. Road run off going down the eastern side of the road from Sandy Hill is guided across the road (strangely) and if everything is working gathers in a gully that runs under the road, and into a “grip”. This grip feeds the run-off into Moors copse, where about 15 yards in is a pond. If everything is working the pond traps the water, silt and debris, and the water seeps away in to the field below and the general woodland.

The maintenance required is to:

1. Clear the roadside grid drain of leaves and debris - a 2 minute job
2. Rod the under-road drain ( another very short job - I’ll be bringing drain rods).
3. Dig out the grip, allowing the run off to flow. (A couple of fellows with spades will take 4 minutes.)

Without this maintenance the run-off and debris barrels down the side of the road and dumps into the brook at Waterloo Bridge.

Andrew Danson from the Trust is managing the work in Moors Copse that I believe involves digging out the capture pond - a few minutes and we can help. This is a good example of how the community and the NT can work together and I ask you to support this. The system is then set up for the rain in the autumn and winter and matches the recently re-established system on the other side of the valley.

If you can’t dig, please come anyway - I have high-vis jackets and you can slow down the traffic of the road to keep us safe. Obviously all work on the road is at personal risk but you are all sensible folk. Let’s aim for a 10.00 start (I don’t yet know the NT’s timing but we can adjust and fit in as necessary) and we’ll be done very quickly. So you can do your bit to help reduce silt into the Broadwater, and demonstrate that working together we can do this sustainably. This could be crucial for future plans for the Broadwater. It also demonstrates that where the NT are understandably precluded due to Health and Safety restrictions that the community can offer a pragmatic solution. These are the sorts of paradigms that will be useful going forward - everyone wins.

So - Sunday 7th September 10.00. Bring a spade and goodwill. :-)

I’ve been asked to highlight the attached - across the country on Saturday 13th September is a “Heritage Open Day”. the Sherborne Archives are laying on a talk on the historic deer coursing (including insightful and new exciting research) and there’s a walk around the Park. Significantly, I see that entrance is free. Lodge Park is a crucial part of the history of Sherborne, a fabulous building and fabulous parkland - (whoever designed it!) and I’d urge you to go along.