Building up experience on dry stone walling training days | Dom Hartley

I am coming towards the end of my two-year placement after having graduated in conservation and land management.

At the end of June I worked in conjunction with the Dry Stone Walling Association to run four training days, which enabled people to come and experience dry stone walling under the tutelage of Master Craftsman Alan Rhodes

The dry stone walling took place on the Martholme Greenway, a section of a disused railway line which used to run between Burnley and Blackburn.

Thanks to a dedicated team of local volunteers, the Martholme Greenway is kept in good condition to provide an off-road route for walkers and cyclists between Burnley and Blackburn.

The volunteers carry out regular work to manage overgrowth, maintain stockproof fencing and collect litter. Flanked on both sides by lengths of dry stone wall, the volunteers' attention is now turning to the repair of certain sections of this which have come down over the years.

It was a great project to be involved with and although I have had a go at walling before, this also gave me the chance to learn first hand from a professional tutor.

On the Wednesday and Thursday we had a brilliant team of 10 volunteers join us for two long days in humid temperatures.

The group was made up of both men and women of all ages from the local Pendle area.

The groups took down 20m of wall, dug out the foundation stones, re-laid the foundations and built the walls back up.

On the Friday two separate groups, our PEN (People Enjoying Nature) group, and our trainees, repaired a further 5m of wall.

I could see that everyone was really proud of their work, and we all hope that the walls will stand for decades to come.

We are looking to run more dry stone walling sessions later in the summer and into the autumn; if you'd be interested in knowing more please make sure to follow us on Facebook Pendle Hill HLF Project - Home | Facebook , Instagram @pendlehilllp or on our website: https://pendlehillproject.com