A volunteer group has thanked people who took part in their annual autumn coppicing event.

The Friends of Gorse Covert Mounds said it was a 'great day for being outdoors' on Saturday, when the group carried out work on the site.

Volunteers cleaned signs near the car park, swept up leaves, and collected litter, before making their way to the viewpoint at the site's Pestfurlong Moss interpretation board with hand tools.

The main aim of the day was to improve the view of the moss.

After the workday, group chairman Nigel Balding said: "The view onto Pestfurlong Moss is looking better now than at any time I can remember, particularly as the mossland is recovering following the Woodland Trust’s restoration works.

"There is a little more to do to finish the planned clearance works, with a couple of small patches of scrub regeneration which we didn’t have time to tackle.

"We may ask volunteers to see if another action day can be arranged and, in the meantime, we’ll ask visitors what they think.

"We found and cleared some rhododendron regrowing from a point where we had once cleared a large patch.

"The previous work took many volunteers several hours, but this time one of us seemed to clear it in no time, so we’re winning this particular battle.

"Down on Pestfurlong Moss itself, I can’t remember the sphagnum mosses and other mossland plant life looking so healthy.

"It’s part of a patchwork of lowland raised peat bogs in Northern England, which is part of our historical legacy from the last ice age, and a rare wildlife habitat."

The Friends of Gorse Covert Mounds will now be preparing for their next event, which is holding a stall at the Birchwood WI Craft Fair, to be held at Gorse Covert Primary School on November 30.

They’re hoping to sell handmade willow stars, hearts, and reindeer.

If anyone wishes to join the Woodland Trust volunteer group, they should contact the Woodland Trust directly or email Nigel at nigel.balding@gmail.com.