I think the Lynchmere Society volunteers may have invented a new Olympic sport on Sunday - Extreme Scrub Clearance. The photos don't really capture the full force of the storm.
But it may not have a very wide appeal as the rules of the game are to clear a 15m x 15m patch of birch rhoddie and gorse scrub using hand tools, light a fire and burn the scrub in the presence of continuous storm force wind and rain.
The weather lulled us into a false sense of security when we arrived to clear scrub on Marley common. I think most of realised it wouldn't last but noone wanted to be the one to back out. Almost as soon as we got a good fire going the wind and rain arrived at storm force, peppering us with hail as well. It was too severe for the scattered trees to provide much in the way of shelter and the fire blew horizontally for a while.
Amazingly we got the job done. Probably due to nobody wanting to be the first to abandon. But we managed to retire in good order whilst the wind and rain abated for a short while.
Many thanks to Chris Pooley for staying beyond the call of duty to tend the fire. One extreme sport that may not catch on - even within the volunteers of the Lynchmere society.
