Volunteers use 17 tonnes of chalk at Cerne Abbas

Volunteers and National Trust workers began rechalking cerne abbas this week in Dorset, using 17 tonnes of chalk mixed with water into a paste on the 55-metre Cerne Giant. Luke Dawson, the trust’s lead ranger, said the adapted method is part of work on a figure that is normally rechalked only every seven to 10 years.

He said the giant was last rechalked in 2019, after an earlier rechalking in 2008, and described the new mixture as easier to make stick: “It’s like a putty, which makes it easier to make it stick.”

Luke Dawson on changing conditions

Dawson said the change in technique comes as the trust watches signs of weather-related wear on the hillside figure. “We’ve noticed algae growth starting to dull the giant’s bright white outline. We can’t say for certain what’s driving that, but warmer, wetter conditions may be a factor. The milder winters and wetter summers make perfect growing conditions,” he said.

He added: “We’re also seeing more intense rainfall, which can increase water runoff and gradually wear away the chalk, so we’re planning further monitoring to understand the impacts.” During the work, he said, crews are rechalking for 20 minutes an hour, with two gazebos on top of the hill to provide shade and afternoon shifts cancelled because of the heat.

Cerne Giant work this week

Dawson said, “The giant is hundreds of years old but the modern world is certainly affecting him,” and added: “It may be we have to adapt and perhaps rechalk more often.” The trust bought significant areas of land around the giant earlier this year through a fundraising appeal that reached its £330,000 target in 60 days and drew donations from across the UK, Australia, Japan and Iceland.

Stephen Fry backed the appeal, and one volunteer on the hill this week is Debby van den Berg, a 51-year-old civil servant from Gouda in the Netherlands. The trust said children from nearby schools are booked in to help, while a local vicar and staff from Cerne Abbas Brewery are also among the volunteers supporting the work.