After a hot sunny week the weather changed completely for our Balsam Bash at Riverside Park. Grey, overcast and with rain starting it was fantastic to see so many people turning out to help with our conservation task.

Himalayan Balsam is a huge problem along our waterways and it is controlled by pulling out the stems before they have chance to set seed.

The group set to work collecting arm fulls of balsam stems, carefully avoiding nettles, brambles and wildflowers.

Leader David directed the creation of a huge spider sitting in a spider web using the balsam stems. We then ‘set’ the design by bashing the stems in situ with lots of jumping and stamping. As well as making the design look good it also ensured that the balsam would not survive

No Balsam Bash would be complete without the Squirrel game! Teams of Red and Grey Squirrels competed to collect nuts – this environmental game illustrates the real life competition between native and introduced squirrels with lots of blatant cheating thrown in!

Thank you to everyone who turned up and worked so hard in the drizzle – great fun was had by all.