Community Day

This afternoon was a day to give back to the community as we cleared the office and 50 of us headed to four different locations on the island to give a helping hand to a number of worthy causes.

Most of us were at the Bermuda National Trust owned Tivoli Estate in Warwick Parish, which is a 11-acre area nature reserve. The estate also includes Tivoli Pond and Tivoli House, a typically built early 19th century house that is a fine example of local architecture.

The estate is in some desperate need of some love and attention and we were split into four groups to clear paths, scrape and cull brush and woodland and build a perimeter fence as the National Trust have plans to convert the accessible parts of the area into a community open space which includes the ongoing excavation of the huge pond.

It was hard graft and a thankless task as we dug and removed invasive species such as the Brazilian Pepper Tree, which were buggers with their endless roots and seedlings. Despite piles and piles of removed branches after 4 hours of sweating, a look around the site told us that Tivoli will need hundreds of afternoons of community spirit.

Nonetheless often we unearthed baby Bermudian Cedar Trees (photo), which is a critically endangered species. Each one discovered was carefully marked and the surrounding area cleared and they brought a smile to the National Trust guys, who obviously have a vision and a lot of confidence that part of Tivoli will open in September. I look forward to seeing it.