Those of us walking along the north side of Grange Lane alongside the playing field have recently been experiencing the sword of Damocles.
Not literally, that was just to grab your attention, and anyway it wasn’t the sword but the way the walls were closing in leaving less and less space that we allude to. Is this even the same story? Moving on, the walls in this equation was formed by the hedgerow, which having undergone a growth spurt had moved in the direction of sideways across the pavement with abandon. Only skinny people were able to pass, sideways.
Normally giving hedgerows a haircut falls to the ‘Street Scene’ guys of the DMBC. but this particular hedgerow, being inside the Playing Field perimeter fence, is the responsibility of the Parish Council, who do not have the necessary equipment to tackle such growth. Step up Willie Seels in his mighty tractor with a flail mower thingy on the back. Free of charge he persuaded the hedgerow to move back a few feet in a trice. Then the faithful team of Burghwallis volunteers that take great delight in clearing stuff up trotted after him along with rakes, brushes and stout hearts to relocate the mashed growth to the back of the playing field. Here it will rot down and provide food and shelter for the many tiny things that live in mashed hedgerow.
In the space of two hours Willie and the volunteers had provided safe passage for all Grange Lane pedestrians – not just skinny peeps for Burghwallis is a village of equal opportunity.
