EMPLOYEES from a Knutsford business picked up their pitchforks and donned their wellies for a day of volunteering at Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s Binkley Hall Farm.

On October 18 20 members of staff from Ashley and Dumville Ltd headed to the wildlife-friendly farm, based at Malpas, to help restore a water vole habitat.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for the volunteers, however, as they were faced with a much bigger challenge than first anticipated – but with a bit of teamwork they completed the task with time to spare.

Ashley and Dumville employee Laura Hothersall, who organised the event, said: “Everyone was slightly taken aback at the enormity of the task and the sheer physical exertion required with very limited equipment – but we all got stuck in and worked as a team.

“It was very good fun and everyone got on brilliantly.”

The team helped clear away a large overgrown ditch, and their efforts will help the lives of voles who are preyed on by the mink population.

Chris Meredith, from Cheshire Wildlife Trust, led the team.

“We aim to provide as great a variety of habitats as possible on the farm, and these ditch networks are crucial for species like water violet, dragonflies during the summer and the rare water shrew,” he said.

“The ditches do, however, get easily clogged up, but many hands make light work of a tough job when it comes to getting them into perfect condition again for the next few years.

“I’d like to thank the Ashley and Dumville team for all their help during the visit.”

Ashley and Dumville, a recruitment and publishing company for the oil and energy industry, dedicates one per cent of its employees’ time and one per cent of its revenue to charity and community projects each year.

For its next project the team will be collecting holly and cones from Tatton Park to make Christmas wreaths for the GROW project.

Nick Smith, managing director of Ashley and Dumville, said: “An excellent day was had at Cheshire Wildlife Trust. All team members put in a huge effort for a very worthwhile cause and gave everyone a chance to spend time together out of the office.”