[L]ocal organisation Morecambe Bay Partnership is seeking volunteers to help fight vegetation, which is threatening nationally important ’Heritage at Risk’ sites on Birkrigg Common, near Ulverston. The next work party will take place on Saturday 24th June from 9.30am.
Volunteers are sought to help undertake some targeted vegetation clearance, to reduce bracken growth at this important and much loved Furness site, so helping to increase the visibility of, and reduce the risk to, important archaeological remains. The work will also help to improve natural habitats, opening up grassland and encouraging grazing, allowing better feeding areas for birds and reducing further encroachment of bracken.
New and existing volunteers are invited to join the work party on Saturday 24th June – no previous experience is needed and all tools and safety equipment are provided. Volunteers just need to bring along their enthusiasm and a willingness to get stuck in! The works will involve cutting the bracken, to weaken the plant and restrict its growth over subsequent growing seasons.
Morecambe Bay Partnership is leading this important work, as part of its Bay-wide programme to conserve, understand and celebrate the Bay’s intriguing but sadly overlooked cultural heritage. Three of the archaeological sites on Birkrigg Common are listed on the ‘Heritage at Risk’ register produced by Historic England (formerly English Heritage) and require immediate action to control this vegetation, to preserve and protect them for future generations. Morecambe Bay Partnership has been working with volunteers since 2015 to tackle the problematic bracken and is already seeing fantastic results, with much reduced destructive bracken growth on the archaeological sites.
The work party will meet at the Malt Kiln, Bardsea for tea/coffee at 9.30am on Saturday 24th June. Supervised children aged 8 and over are welcome. Work will involve manual removal of vegetation with slashers/rakes and some lifting, so a degree of physical fitness is required. For more information visit www.morecambebay.org.uk/events.
