What a week! There is a unique kind of energy that descends on Skomer when the work party arrives, and this latest visit was a whirlwind of productivity, island charm and quite a few “only on Skomer” challenges.
Divide and conquer was the method for this week, splitting
into different teams to get the tasks done.
Team Bulb: the daffodil destroyers
Alison, Ceris and Amy formed this powerhouse trio. They
kicked off the week with a yearly firm favourite of using wire brushes to sand
down the road pins used to fence off The Wick, followed by re-painting them and putting them out in time for the island opening.
This team’s week was fueled by general silliness, wind ups, questionable Spotify playlists, and plenty of “Go Team” cheers!
They also took on the great daffodil demise! A mammoth mission to remove and get rid of the non-native daffodils that were spreading beyond the farm walls. Daffodils can out-compete native wildflowers and form dense mats of bulbs - they can be repeatedly cut, weakening the bulb over time, or the bulbs can be dug up. We dug up bulbs immediately around the farm, then spent hours painstakingly separating stem from bulb with secateurs and drying out the bulbs to give them a new lease of life elsewhere. Ceris was on a mission to find a new home for every single bulb! Eventually we switched to the scythe for areas beyond the farm - a continuing task for future years, but a huge win for today!
When they weren't battling blooms, they were tackling essential repairs to the heavily rabbit-burrowed path at High Cliff. To top it all off, they refreshed the volunteer block with a good clean and a new coat of paint - though by the end of the day Alison and Amy seemed to be wearing more paint than the walls!
Team Wall: the map makers
Amy also branched into Team Wall with Rob, working together to create a brand new map for the hostel lounge wall. This will be a vital aid for bird logs and welcome talks. We thought projecting the outline would be the easy bit, but it turned into a hilarious game of “balance the leaflets” to get the projector level!
Just as Amy was making great progress and a quarter of the map outline was done, Rob accidentally knocked the projector - sending us back to square one! After jokingly banning Rob for the afternoon the pencil outline was completed. After a couple of days waiting for pens to arrive the pressure was on! Amy spent just over nine hours perfecting every intricate dash for the footpaths, making sure the writing was perfectly level and all the streams were in place. Everyone seemed happy with the final result.
Team Technical: battle of the mud!
Will, Martin and Nigel faced the week's toughest conditions, building a brand new hide at Moorey Mere. This was a true battle against relentless mud - every time a hole was dug for a post, it would fill back up and need redigging!
In setting the posts, they even had to deal with local saboteurs, it turns out the island mice have developed a taste for the portable generator's fuel lines! With these out of action, having to mix the concrete by hand was the only option.
Mud reached head-to-toe levels, spirits were tested, and Nigel even took a muddy tumble! But with classic island perseverance, they made incredible progress and by the end of the week there was a very nearly complete hide. This hide is a true labor of love, built in memory of volunteer Andrew Hughes, who we’re sure would have loved witnessing the chaotic muddy triumph!
Team Brawn: the heavy lifters
Leighton and Gruffydd were tasked with work in the yard. If there was a job to be done Team Brawn were there with sleeves rolled up! From moving trees and levelling the ground to create a new rubbish area, to putting in new posts and a concrete base for the new gas storage, they continued the ongoing transformation of the island yard. They also gave the domestic side of island life a boost by repositioning the washing line!
Beyond the heavy lifting, they tackled the essential fixes that make a huge difference, replacing tiles on the workshop roof, removing the awkward concrete sill between the yard and workshop (wheel barrows now glide through with ease!) and bidding farewell to the old disintegrating bathroom window sill in the vol block, replaced by a smart new sill from repurposed slate. Pure grit and major progress!
Fuelled by the best
None of this would've been possible without the amazing
catering of Mari Elin. After a long day of digging holes or painting walls, her
food is the ultimate reward that kept the teams moving. From delicious pies and
hearty soups, to amazing cakes and bakes that provided the sugar rush we all
needed to keep going!
As we look back on another great work party week defined by hard graft, muddy boots and great company, we couldn't be happier with what was achieved.
Until the next time… Go Team!
- Amy Compton