Green Gym volunteers along with Isle of Wight Council Countryside Rangers will be on Brading Down today clearing ragwort between 10am and 1pm.

The Isle of Wight Council countryside rangers will be joined by around 20 volunteers on who will combine getting fit with getting rid of common ragwort, a yellow plant that grows throughout the UK which can be poisonous to grazing livestock, especially horses.

The Isle of Wight Council is working in line with the government’s national Code of Practice on How to Prevent the Spread of Ragwort, a practice it has followed for several years.  Although not illegal to have ragwort growing on your land, the government can take legal action to control it if it is found to be spreading onto agricultural land.

The Council takes responsibility for ragwort on its own land and urges other land users to do the same. For its part, the authority on Wednesday (July 2) is teaming up with volunteers from its Green Gym initiative to clear away ragwort on Brading Down.

Because removing ragwort is both labour intensive and time consuming as the whole plant needs to be dug out to prevent it seeding or re-growing from the base, help has been enlisted from the Green Gym – an independent community group that encourages people to keep fit by working on environmentally-friendly exercises.
 
Matthew Chatfield, the Isle of Wight Council’s Parks and Countryside Manager said:

“Ragwort control is hard work, but it is something the Isle of Wight Council takes very seriously. We can’t get rid of every plant but we do prioritise areas where grazing animals might be at risk, so for example, on Brading Down we have regular volunteer days to tackle the problem.”

Countryside Officer Bob Edney who will be involved in the ragwort clearing on Brading Down on Wednesday is grateful for the volunteers provided by the Green Gym. Bob said:

“The Green Gym contribution to the work is invaluable. They provide a great deal of help throughout the year on a range of countryside work ranging from path construction to coppicing.”

Cabinet Member for Environment & Transport Cllr Hunter-Henderson said:

“The work carried out by the Green Gym volunteers under the guidance of our countryside rangers is very much appreciated. The partnership work on Brading Down to clear ragwort is particularly important and we would encourage other Isle of Wight land owners to adopt the governments Code of Practice on preventing the spread of the plant to ensure the safety of livestock.”

The Green Gym, which meets every Wednesday is always looking for new people to join their team of volunteers, if you would like to find out more contact them on 866459 or 822282.

IWC Media:   Isle of Wight Community News @Island Pulse.