“Many hands make light work” clearing tree guards at Lofftwen
As with so many aspects of the Lofftwen project, it all started with a fortuitous meeting in somewhat arbitrary circumstances. A casual conversation during a Brazilian carnival parade through London’s Hampstead Heath, soon followed by dinner and a site reccy, and a few weeks later we had seven eager souls representing five countries (Colombia, Brazil, Italy, England and Wales) dutifully scouring the hillsides for tree guards while battling through brambles, bracken and anything else this wild part of the country could throw at them. The idiom “Many hands make light work” was quickly brought to life as mounds of tree guards rapidly multiplied in scale and quantity.
There is something both powerful and rewarding about how this kind of collective activity brings people together in such short spaces of time. As we work our way methodically through the lines of trees we talk about our families, jobs, and interests. These conversations and many others continue as we break for lunch and then later supper around the campfire. As the group gets to know each other better the inside jokes start to pile up alongside the growing numbers of tree guards and an increasing sense of camaraderie. It was a privilege to work alongside, albeit briefly, such a dedicated and friendly bunch. So, a huge thank you from us to Lizzie, Simon, Sam, and Marjory (not forgetting the two boarder terriers Scout and “where’s Ruby?!”). And a very special thanks to Carolina for helping organise and bring everyone together. We started the weekend with 50,000 tree guards. 9,000 down that leaves 41,000 to go. A few more dedicated volunteer visits like this one and Lofftwen will soon be free of its tree guards.
