Rechalking beloved Cerne Giant is a sticky process – and climate crisis is making it worse

F or centuries, the custodians of the Cerne Giant have clambered up the dizzyingly steep hill every decade or so to rechalk the outline, making sure the hulking figure can be seen far and wide across the rolling Dorset countryside. But the painstaking job, which involves hacking out the grubby old chalk by hand and packing in fresh, felt all the more urgent this week because effects put down to the climate emergency are making the giant a little duller and perhaps a touch more fragile. “The giant is hundreds of years old but the modern world is certainly affecting him,” said Luke Dawson, a National Trust lead ranger, as he supervised workers and volunteers who were at work restoring the giant to gleaming glory. “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. “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.” Jane Hanney-Martin, 50, left, volunteered to help with the rechalking, but the steep terrain can make it an arduous task. Photograph: Jim Wileman/The Guardian The custom has been to rechalk the 55-metre-tall giant roughly every seven to 10 years. It was last done in 2019 and before that in 2008 . …