We spent a long hot summer doing major work on the buildings and fields. With a grant of £15,000 from the Elise Pilkington Trust which enabled us to install field drainage and start the work of levelling the paddocks. When the muck heap had been removed (it was so well rotted that it made excellent soil for the fields) we could then access the buildings with larger equipment to begin renewing the stabling.Previously the stabling in our second barn has been a interesting mix of different levels and shapes of enclosures, dating back to when the shed was used for cattle. Now outdated, and not always the best arrangement, it was time to crack on and do something better. The steps and raised areas of the floor were chipped out (a very tedious and difficult job), the old concrete walls were removed and the floor generally levelled.
Help came in the form of Metcalfe and Jones, Roofing and Building Maintenance, who provided a team of skilled workers for 3 days to work on the blockwork, for free!