Today our brave Sunday volunteers, organised and led by Garden Club leader Steve Granger, created a attractive and effective bank stabalisation structure from hazel and willow. Willow Spiling involves using stout hazel poles to create a line of uprights along the edge of the riverbank. These are set at an angle leaning away from the river. Wands of willow (which the Triangle Garden has in abundance) are then woven through the hazel poles to create a strong structure.
Luckily we had a nice mild day for it, so wading in wellies in the stream was not too cold! Hot drinks were provided to keep everyone happy and by the end of the session we had created a great looking river edge.
The reason for doing this work was that people had been trying to ride bikes along the stream bed and get out at the Triangle Garden end, which had eroded much of the bank where it curves round. We really hope this structure will be left in place to stabalise the river bank but also to form a valuable habitat for river wildlife.
Thanks everyone and well done!