A hard working team of volunteers from HSBC Bank plc in Douglas recently spent a day helping the Manx Wildlife Trust with some key tasks at the nature conservation charity’s Ballachrink Nature Reserve.
Extending over 25 acres of land in the West Baldwin valley, Ballachrink was gifted to the Trust in 2011 by Mrs Norris, wife of the late Mr Norris, who lived for many years at Ballachrink House, West Baldwin. The site comprises a series of small meadows, currently let to a tenant for grazing purposes, with small blocks and lines of conifer plantation in between. Below the meadows are the steep, river-eroded banks of the wider valley floor and a number of ponds and lakes, created by Mr and Mrs Norris for the benefit of wildfowl. On the banks of the lakes there is an area of developing woodland including sycamore and birch as well as various non-native species.
With its diverse habitat, open water and the inclusion of a stretch of the Baldwin river, the site is a hidden gem but requires considerable work to clear and re-establish access paths and tracks. In addition, over the years, considerable damage has been done to the fencing around the meadows, primarily due to falling trees, and so replacing the fences to ensure the meadows are stock-proof is a current priority for the Trust’s Reserves Officer, Tricia Sayle. Tricia was therefore delighted to take up HSBC’s offer of help to clear tree debris and replace a section of fencing in the largest meadow, with all materials very kindly funded by the Bank.
Commenting on the day’s activities, Kevin Cartledge, Senior Manager HSBC Isle of Man, said, “As a Gold Corporate Member of the Manx Wildlife Trust, the Bank is always keen to give staff the opportunity to volunteer to provide practical support to the charity. This is the fourth year that we have helped the Trust with tasks on their nature reserves and funded the necessary materials and once again our staff thoroughly enjoyed getting hands-on experience of the charity’s invaluable nature conservation work.”
The Manx Wildlife Trust would like to thank HSBC for their support and is looking forward to continuing to work with the Bank going forward.
Photo - The team of volunteers from HSBC, (L – R) Danielle Mellor, Cathy Mitchell, Sharon Docherty, Paul McGilvray, Lydia Gray, Amie Dugdale, Jeremy Watterson and Neil Helmer.
