We had a fantastic turnout for our first Staffordshire “dig day” on the Roaches Estate last weekend. Sixteen volunteers met in Gradbach on a fabulous sunny Spring day, giving up their precious riding time to make our Peak District trails better. Jon Rowe from Staffordshire Wildlife Trust – land managers of the Roaches – was there with colleague Dave to steer the activities and provide the tools and materials.
The work consisted of reinstating blocked and damaged drains, with lunchtime biscuits kindly provided by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust. This meant a crash course in building water bars and French drains for many of the volunteers; skills we hope they will bring to future dig days.
This kind of work is incredibly important and organisations like Staffordshire Wildlife Trust simply cannot do it all without volunteers, so thank you to everyone who came along. Jon Rowe from Staffordshire Wildlife Trust tells us why volunteers are so important:
Carl Upton – Peak District MTB volunteer – describes why he and his mates got involved (other than for the free biscuits!)
“We’re all local people and it’s just nice to give something back; to preserve what’s there, not just for ourselves and our enjoyment, but for other people as well as other user groups.”
Our next Peak District MTB dig day is Thursday 26th April on the Hollins Cross to Greenlands bridleway in Edale, whilst the Roaches dig days are every second Saturday of the month. Check out our Events page for more details about how to get involved, or drop us a line via email.
Thanks again to all the Peak District MTB volunteers that keep our trails in great condition. We can’t do it without you.
