Time to call in the professionals

As January draws to an end, we are wondering where the month has gone. As ever, we have been very busy in the marina continuing to tidy up areas, renew landing stages and generally start preparing for the spring. However, there are some projects that we just can’t do ourselves.  One such project has been completed this month – the tree safety work. In the summer we had a tree safety survey prepared. All the trees in the marina were numbered and plotted on a map and recommendations were given for any work required.

Over the last two weeks experienced and very skilled tree surgeons from Cotswold Tree and Access Hire have been climbing up and down trees all over the marina, carrying out long overdue maintenance. Several trees had to be felled as they were dangerous, dead or dying, sadly Ash die back had been found to affect a number of them. Others required a fairly substantial reduction in size to prolong a healthy life. Many of the rest required dead wooding and general pruning. The men were fearless, climbing high into the trees and skilfully wielding enormous chain saws to safely take down the required branches, lowering them to the ground on ropes that had been thrown or fired up into neighbouring trees  – it was extraordinary to watch how effortless they made it look, and I think they enjoyed the work too!

 

Autumn in the marina

Autumn at Lechlade marina

Autumn has truly set in. On sunny days the chilly weather has produced boats that sparkle with frost, and on damp days the Thames glides along lazily underneath a mantle of mist.  The river is not yet at full flow, but it is the time of year when those who live aboard permanently start preparing for the Winter months. Lechlade Marina too is still hard at work with the planned renovations on the marina buildings and with the general tidy up that was started in the summer. This has included the removal of a number of disused boats that has given way to some much-needed space.

However, there is much more to the marina than just its buildings, the trees here have all been surveyed prior to surgery or in some cases felling. This will remove any neglected and dangerous specimens and prolong the life of the trees remaining, many of which enhance the local environment and include some rarer species.

A healthier environment encourages wildlife to visit, and this is plentiful along this stretch of the Thames with a variety of animals that include water voles, kingfishers, red kites and egrets. We have had rare sightings of otters in the summer months, and at present, the familiar call of tawny owls can be heard almost nightly in the trees above the boats establishing their breeding territories within the area.

The renovations are producing an ever-changing landscape here at the moment, and in doing so they are slowly revealing the natural beauty of this marina that has been hidden for so long.

Everybody needs good neighbours

We had a fantastic day yesterday making a huge stride forward tidying up the marina. 30 of our moorers and neighbours gave up some or all of their Saturday, and worked hard in the hot sun helping to clear away the rubbish, cut back undergrowth and brambles, making the marina look so much tidier and a nicer place to relax in the sun or shade of the trees.

The clean up starts

The clear up has begun, with the help of our very patient and loyal moorers, by tidying up the marina. We will shortly be installing a waste and recycling area to make sure the marina is kept clear of rubbish and to encourage a more environmentally friendly approach to waste.

We have roadway improvements in our sights too, and are aiming to deal with the potholes while the weather is kinder!

We will soon start renovating the facilities building, putting in new showers and loos, a new elsan waste facility. We will also move to bringing the water and electricity hook-ups up to modern standards.

Future phases will include offering fuel sales, pump out facilities and other boat yard services.

Look out for future updates on the progress of the restoration on the blog, sign up to the newsletter or contact us for more information.

Lechlade Marina is Under New Management

We are delighted to announce that we have completed the acquisition of Lechlade Marina, which will enable us to begin the restoration of this wonderfully situated marina at the head of the navigable River Thames. We will be moving into Leatherham House, with our four year old son, Hugo, and golden retriever, Saffy, as soon as the work to renovate it is completed.

Thank you to so many people, especially the current loyal moorers, who have waited so long for our acquisition to reach completion and who have given us support and encouragement along the way – it took a lot longer than we expected!

The first step in our project to restore the marina to its former glory has been to change the name of the marina and the postcode, and we are now able to formally and officially call ourselves Lechlade Marina with a new postcode GL7 3DL.

Look out for future updates on the progress of the restoration on the blog, sign up to the newsletter or contact us for more information.