The Trough

The water trough was always going to be sited next to the path but the generosity of the National Forest and the eagerness of JCB Mark gave us a path nine feet wide almost a foot deep [2.7m by 300mm]. That required the trough to be raised to be level with the path. One Sunday morning with several lengths of scaffolding planks, eight 600mm pegs and a box of screws and a flurry of activity in the cold wind a stilage was created. The space enclosed by the planks was back filled with more of the hardcore. It was tamped down and paving stones laid over the top. The trough was positioned and set upon three timber pads. The pads are to protect the bottom of the trough from the paving stones. The service box was fitted to the trough and the mains water plumbed on to service box.

Installing the trough feels like the end is in sight.

Trailering manure

We were now into the flow of the project. The economic down turn, leading to the lack of available top soil, forced a rethink as did working the earth for the drains. The substrate is fertile evidenced by the profusion of Daisy's in the fallow year of 2009. BTCV, previously know as 'British Trust for Conservation Volunteers', one of the bodies we used to consult with during our planning stage, were blown away on their site visit with the speed of regeneration of the soil. An alternative plan was devised. A thick layer of manure would be applied to the site and capped with a layer of top soil. Volumes were calcualted, costs rejigged and contractors engaged. Matt and Zoe trailered tons of manure to cover the whole plot and levelled it out. It was about this time the weather broke. The long hots days were replaced by heavy rain. Luckily the rain was not persistent but it did make what would be the growing areas too sticky for running vehicles over them.

We found a benefactor in a local top soil and turf merchant. He gave us the top soil at a little over cost to him and more than we agreed to take at no extra cost. Again he wanted to support a local initiative.

500 tonnes

We have been lucky in our friends. The National Forest had a great deal of hardcore left over from the landscaping of the bagging plant. We were given free access to the 500 tonne bund of hardcore. JCB Mark and the farmer's trailer drivers Matt and Zoe made a dint in pile. The hardcore was trailered up to the allotment from the other end of the park and tipped to make the car park. The car park was put in first to give good access for the heavy trucks that would be making deliveries. The heavy trucks acted as free road rollers compressing the surface. Once the drains were in more hardcore was tipped to create the access path down the centre of the plot and to top dress the soft spots on the car park.

Fencing in the mud

In the winter of 2008/9 we had the coldest but perhaps most rewarding work party ever. The bund had been built and the contractors had left site. Rabbitsare an issue in the park. We found the funds to install 150 metres of rabbit fencing on the outside face of the bund. On a dismal, freezing Sunday a dozen hardly souls assembled. The line of the fence was marked. A group of chaps went down the line pounding in posts at regular intervals along the line. Another party had the unenviable job of digging a trench in the heavy wet and cold mud. The trench would hold the foot of the rabbit fence. The trench soon turned into an open ditch with water running down the hill. The heavy machines had torn off the thin turf cover during the reclamation and in no time the hillside was a sticky with mud which gave no purchase for our boots.

As we turned the corner at the top of the slope we found out the cost of saving the trees. The trees had been dropped right where the rabbit fence needed to go. We manged to maintain a straight fence line with some heavy digging and persistence. The support wires were strung, tensioned and nailed into position. With hands so cold that the odd clout of the hammer on cold fingers was not felt...until later. The trench party were relieved of that duty only to be directed to cable tying the chicken wire to the support wires. The trench, now containing the foot of the netting, was back filled. This perhaps, was more taxing than digging it out. The two parties worked their way along the fence line to the top of the slope, round corner and onto the angle which lead down the last pitch to the corner of the existing allotment fencing.

I have to say we did a great job on the fence. A proper allotment community job. Some people could not stay all day. So we had a core of folks who did the whole supported by and early shift and a late shift. And YES the rabbit fence works!    

Mains water

Whilst the digger was trenching for the drains a trench was taken out for the mains water pipe. It was a tense time whist we located the end of the main water pipe left underground by Thorne the previous year. Our recording of the position of the underground pipe was spot on. One of the members is a Plumber by trade and he was charged with connecting up the water pipe and supervising the back fill of the trench. The free end of the pipe, which would eventually connect to the water trough, was blanked off a tied to a big post for the machine drivers to work round. The water trough would be installed at a later date

Drainage pattern

The first item we bought was the water trough and service box. The service box contains the ball cock and is designed to prevent cows damaging the valve. We also bought the water pipe and the necessary fittings. It felt like we were underway. The schedule of works was agreed with the JCB driver Mark and the farmer. The underground drain pipe was ordered as was the stone for the back fill of the french drains. To encourage us the weather continued hot and dry. The drains were marked out and the JCB began digging.

It took a whole week to dig out the trenches and create an extension the bund to contain spoil from the trenches. One of members was on hand to hand dig the last metre of the three trenches where they passed under the boundary of the old allotments into the existing drainage ditch. The drainage pipes were installed as the wagons pulled in with the reclaimed stone for the back fill.

Mark the digger driver did an excellent job of laying out the drainage pattern and executing the french drains. During breaks in the work we found out that Mark had dug the drains round the existing plots more than a decade before.  

A victim

Whilst the bid was in the approval stage we discovered that our JCB driver and ground works chap had gone out of business. We also found that the source of top soil dried up with the cancelling of building developments. So we became a victim of the down turn. A new set of contractors had to be found along with sources of top soil. We were lucky in that a local farmer bought into our development. He has a social conscience and wanted to help local people with a local project. Since the allotment were no more half a mile from his door, we fitted the bill. Unfortunately finding a JCB driver was more difficult. The timing of the receipt of the grant, which started the clock ticking, came at a bad time for the farmer and therefore the Society. June to October is the farmers busiest time of the year and being a small concern the farmer could not assist us straight away. We had to wait until he was available. In the meantime the JCB driver search continued.

Winter 2010 came early and stayed round for a long time. Snow lay on the ground for many weeks and when not frozen the site unworkable because the wet and sticky Leicestershire clay. Whilst we waited for spring to come round we were not idle. Our persistence paid off and we found a JCB driver and we were able to plan the physical elements of the development with him and the farmer.