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A Week on the Estate: Conservation Club, Damian’s Snaps & Moving Out

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We know we ought to be careful what we wish for but we’re certainly glad of a bit of dry weather. Given the copious rain left on saturated ground by Storm Henk and its predecessors, the water table needs time to drop before the next low-pressure system finds us. The outlook for the week to come is cold and dry, with highs of 2C, lows of -3C and biting north-westerly winds.

It’s hard to imagine at the time of writing but globally 2023 was the warmest year ever recorded, beating the pre-industrial baseline by an unignorable margin of 1.48C. While an outgoing El Niño system in the Pacific played its part, we look set to wear out the word ‘unprecedented’ this year and for years to come. We’ll keep doing our part to roll with the changes and make our farming model resilient, sustainable and nature-friendly. To that end, read on for a chance to get involved with hands-on conservation.

This month, we’re asking some key players on the Estate team what they’re looking forward to in 2024. Here’s Estate Photographer Damian Furlong: “It’s always exciting to see what develops around the Estate from year to year. I’m looking forward to the ongoing show-and-tell through photographs. I’m really keen to get involved with plans to boost rural tourism.”

Thanks as ever to Damian for capturing images of day-to-day life on the Estate. He recently snapped the Hall looking decidedly bare. We’ve temporarily moved into the Old Rectory with the expert assistance of Barnes of Lincoln so that the Hall can get some TLC and future-proofing. We’ll be comprehensively updating the electrics and making the heating and hot water as efficient as possible. Substantial work was done in 2021 to reinforce one floor but there are two more to go! We’ll also be returning the roof to its original, intended shape.

moving out

Damian also snapped the staff and tenant carol service just before Christmas. It looks like the ‘no singing, no cake’ rule was strictly enforced. Jo certainly kept an eye on the table of treats and no lip-syncers got past her.

Here’s Graduate Placement Officer & Saturday Club Manager Gemma Kedzior on her plans for 2024: “I would like to continue to grow and expand adult volunteering at South Ormsby Estate. I want to get really involved with helping the wildlife on the estate to thrive, using local experts to expand our knowledge. I’ll also continue to develop, improve and deliver a quality graduate-placement scheme to help university leavers take their first steps into the world of work and gain essential skills and experience.

“I’ll continue to make the Saturday Club a happy and healthy environment that the young workers enjoy coming to. It will allow them to thrive as individuals while building their confidence and resilience. They’ll also acquire skills and knowledge while building relationships with their peers and the environment around them.”

Speaking of adult volunteering, Gemma is about to launch the South Ormsby Conservation Club to harness the talent and enthusiasm of our nature-loving friends. Do you love getting out and about in our gorgeous corner of the Lincolnshire Wolds? Do you treasure our precious flora and fauna, and want to see it flourish now and for generations to come? If this describes you, read on.

At the fortnightly sessions of the South Ormsby Conservation Club, you’ll get hands-on with conservation at South Ormsby Estate. Here’s a flavour of what we’ll get up to:

– We’ll meet local experts and learn from them.

– We’ll help our wildlife flourish by putting up bat and bird boxes.

– We’ll monitor biodiversity by periodically counting birds and bugs and analysing owl pellets.

– We’ll plant wildflowers and help with hedgerow and tree management.

– We’ll keep tabs on the health of our watercourses by pond-dipping.

– We’ll remove litter from the natural environment.

– We’ll make plenty of pals – we always make plenty of time for a brew and a chat.

We aim to get started on Friday 19th January. To be a part of this fantastic new initiative, or to ask any questions, drop Gemma a line: Gemma.Kedzior@southormsbyestate.co.uk . If you know someone who’d love to be involved, please share this blog with them.

christmas carols

Finally, it’s almost competition time. We’ll be offering our lovely, loyal friends and fellow gin aficionados the chance to win a Massingberd-Mundy Gin Lovers Hamper free, gratis and with our compliments.

The Gin Lovers Hamper is a pukka treat for the gin lover in your life. Retailing at £85, this luxury wicker hamper features one 70cl bottle of Burrell’s Dry Gin, one 70cl bottle of Marie Jeanne Pink Gin, two Massingberd-Mundy gin glasses and two candy canes (or Fever Tree miniatures).

To be in with a shout, head to our Facebook page HERE from 7pm on Monday 15th January and follow the instructions on the competition post.

The competition will close at midnight on Sunday 28th January. The winner will be selected at random during the week commencing Monday 29th January. Good luck and cheers!

 

If you’d like to join the conversation, we’d love to hear from you. Just head to our Facebook page HERE and comment beneath the latest blog post. As ever, thanks for your support.

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