Friends of Melton Country Park tackle invasive plant menace

Himalayan Balsam is a literally growing menace across the UK, and so in a battle to combat this non-native plant species, many local councils and groups are working hard to remove as much of it as possible from our green spaces.

Leicestershire is one of these areas, and various groups are working with Leicestershire County Council’s Environmental Partnership’s team to identify, track and begin the removal of the plant.

The Friends are one such group in the Melton area and across the summer they have completed three sessions to pull up, by hand, as much Himalayan Balsam as possible. It has been back breaking work, but over the sessions the volunteers have pulled out hundreds of kilos of plant material. This will be an ongoing process over the coming years to try to rid the Country Park of the Balsam and stop its spread through the watercourses in the park and onwards downstream.

To aid in the identification of the plant, FOMCP volunteers have been trained in how to spot it and to report the location and level of growth so it can be tracked from year to year.

The Balsam should only be pulled up before it sets seed, typically from May to late June / early July, to stop any potential further contamination of the site, and bio-security measures are needed to prevent unintentional spreading of this material. Fortunately, the plant is fleshy rather than woody and rots down comparatively quickly and easily.

The Friends were also very pleased to participate with the display and judging tour for the East Midlands in Bloom competition in early July. The volunteers focussed on the community orchard area and provided some display boards giving an overview of recent activities and achievements.

The Friends are thrilled to have received some new funding donations from Trumpton, the Ragdale Hall Community Chest and Melton Olympic Cycling Club. They are extremely grateful for these very kind donations, which will enable them to purchase some new tools and also key items such as a first aid kit.

The Friends took a well-deserved rest in August but will be back working in the park from September. Anyone interested in volunteering is warmly welcomed. No prior experience is necessary, and all ages and abilities are welcome.

Volunteer sessions usually start at 10.30am, meeting at the main car park / cafe unless otherwise specified. We often stop for a coffee and a chat afterwards.

Their next Saturday work group dates are 7th September and 5th October.

In addition, the Friends will be running some extra work groups one Tuesday per month. The first scheduled dates will be 10th September, 15th October and 19th November. All sessions will be starting at 10.30am, meeting at the main car park / cafe unless otherwise specified. The aim of these sessions will be to cover some of the lighter tasks that can’t always be included in a Saturday session.

Email [email protected] for more information or find them on Facebook.

Everyone is welcome, feel free to bring a friend.