September 21st 2025
What3words location: crust.toys.garden
mithills Hall is one of the oldest and best preserved manor houses in the North West of England. The buildings have been built, rebuilt, added to and remodelled over several centuries; the chapel is said to have been originally established in 792 AD and rebuilt in 1520.
BCV’s involvement doesn’t go quiet that far back, but over the last couple of decades we have removed rhododendron and re-surfaced footpaths. Today we were helping the Smithills Hall Nature Trail Volunteers to do both.
The group have been operating since the beginning of 2025 and have been cutting back rhodies ever since, but they were having problems getting rid of the vast amount of brash and cuttings. Luckily BCV have a chipper which we got through the Feeling Chipper fund (Caroline will probably correct me on the details), and with our chipper we made some in roads on the mountains of material. Two groups working together for a common purpose, if only the rest of the world would do the same.
Thanks to everyone involved in this historic collaboration
Find out more about the dreaded rhododendron on this link
