4th July is synonymous with celebration in many minds, being American Independence Day. But this year there was a more important local celebration that day at Ballachurry Reserve when a small number of Manx Wildlife Trust members, both Southern Group Committee and invited guests, gathered to celebrate the completion of the new boardwalk and to thank most heartily Ian Costain and his right hand man, Peter Hayhurst.
The old boardwalk sat in water for most of the year and was rotting away. Time spent on maintenance was increasing and a decision was eventually taken to replace it with a new one elevated above the mire. Ian was asked if he would mastermind the project and willingly took up the challenge. I don't think he ( or anyone else involved) quite realised what a huge task this would be! Weather, ground conditions and Covid all delayed the project. Fast forward a couple of years and finally the boardwalk and bridge were completed just a few weeks ago.
Many man hours went into this project; not just in the physical construction of the boardwalk but also its design and the sourcing of materials. Ian and Peter gave up much free time to work on site outside the regular work parties and their families should also be thanked for their patience in this matter!
The result of all this effort is not just a practical solution to getting reserve visitors dry shod across a very wet boggy area, but also the addition of a graceful feature to the reserve. It has proved an excellent area from which to observe birds and other wildlife and the wildlife itself seems to enjoy walking across it!
So a huge "thankyou" to Ian in particular but also Peter and all the other volunteers who helped in many ways.
Here are a few photos I took of the event. Many thanks to the Southern Group Committee for inviting Richard and myself along that afternoon.
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Ian and wife, Carrie.
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preparing the Fizz ( non-alcoholic, please note!)
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Jane does the honours
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pouring the Fizz
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Cheers! And a toast to Ian and Peter
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it was a lovely sunny afternoon for the celebration
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Margaret Kelly, Chair of the Southern Group Committee,
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thanking and congratulating Ian and Peter
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Ian replying to Margaret's speech....
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with typical wit!
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the big moment!
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are you ready?
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| steady! |
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| go! |
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"I now declare this boardwalk open!"
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The Southern Group Committee did us proud with Fizz, copious amounts of cake and even arranged a flypast (Sparrowhawk!) So many thanks from everyone for making it such a happy occasion.
