Newsletter - March 2010
At last the dreadful weather appears to be behind us and now it is all a mad rush to get things moving for the spring.
Although we are not entering the National Competition this year we are still in South West in Bloom and we have to put on a good show for the town.
I hope you all had a chance to see the new snowdrops we planted near the Scout Hut on Streamside Walk. They were late to appear but were so pretty when they did. Look out for the Bluebells which are poking through and are usually in flower about mid April. There were also Snowdrops in Rock Street Gardens and there are Mini Daffodils up by the allotments that are new this year.
We have some fund-raising events planned and perhaps you could put these dates in your diaries:
PLANT STALL- Saturday 1st May [next to the Town Hall]. We really welcome donations of plants which can be brought to the stall on the morning of the 1st or to Thornbury Garden Shop for safe-keeping before that date. Please then encourage lots of people to come and purchase plants too. We are holding it a bit later than normal this year in the hope of warmer weather!
GARDENERS EVENING - Wednesday 19th May at Old Down Country Park. We have been invited to hold an event at the park for which we are very thankful and have a good evening planned. Tickets will be £10 each but will allow free entry to the park from 6pm to view all the wonderful new work and projects that are being undertaken there. The Café and Farm Shop will be open and the ticket includes the price of a coffee and selected cake. However why rush having your tea when you can sample the other delights they have there?!
The evening then proceeds with a fascinating talk about the history of Old Down and surrounding area.
We then have a presentation by Penny Dommett of Plans and Plants about Garden Design which will be followed by a “Gardeners Question Time “session with some experts on hand to deal with your most difficult questions! Tickets will be on sale very soon.
Friday 15th October – Mary Payne MBE will be talking at the Cossham Hall “ Grasses and Perennials make good Partners” . Tickets will be on sale for this nearer the time.
PRACTICAL HELP REQUIRED!
We have had permission to replant the third bed in Rock Street and we have funding to do so in Memory of Mrs Ann Pike. We first need volunteers to help clear out the old shrubs and a working party is planned for Easter Bank Holiday Monday at 10am. Please let me or Sue Trowell know if you can help. Many hands will make light work. You will need a good pair of gloves and cutting and digging tools!
We would also like to put together a weed-busters and dead-heading team to keep the town spick and span from June until August- if you could volunteer for this fairly light work we would love to hear from you. I would like to see some individuals take on responsibility for a small area close to their home or place of work.
“It’s Your Neighbourhood Awards” Last year we had 6 successful entries of groups of individuals who band together to improve a small area of land for the community good. We have several new groups already thinking of entering but if you would like to know more or would like to join in – please also get in touch.
Newsletter - December 2009
More Congratulations are due to
Jekka McVicar who has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s prestigious Lawrence Award for
THE BEST EXHIBIT at any RHS show in 2009. This was awarded for Jekka’s stand at Chelsea and is the top award for exhibitors. It must be something in the air in these parts of the country!
At our AGM we were very pleased to appoint Joan Tuck as our new Vice Chairman. Thank-you to Robert Gorham who stepped down from the post for all his work in the past.
We were pleased to welcome on board Jack Ashton and Mervyn Toombs, both excellent gardeners-so a great boost for the team.
NEW PROJECTS; We have been busy already with the 2009/2010 campaign and we are really looking forward to seeing 10,000 Snowdrops and 10,000 Bluebells blooming in Streamside Walk in the areas close to Park Road. A huge thanks to Ray Fulker and members of the allotment association and others for their help in this. Ray and Paul Kendrick have also planted mammoth amounts of Mini daffodils by the allotments. We wish Paul all the best and hope he feels much better soon. The Bluebells and Snowdrops were provided by South Gloucestershire so thanks to them for that. The Daffodils were a memorial to Mrs Lorette Thorne who passed away last Christmas Day, thank-you to her family for their contribution. Thornbury In Bloom also planted 1000’s of Snowdrops in Rock Street Gardens.
New substantial trees have been planted at the junction of Morton Way, Gloucester Road and Butt Lane. We have an Oak, a Sweet Chestnut a Beech and a Common Pear. For this we received two grants from South Gloucestershire, one from the Town Council Environment committee and one private donation. Thank-you to all involved.
The old wooden planters from outside the Co-OP have been removed and will be replaced with two new planters to match the ones outside NatWest Bank. The idea is to give the High Street a more “ Up-Market” appearance. These may be in position before Christmas but if not, soon after. We have been given a donation to plant these for Spring so work will soon be in progress. To replace these we received a small grant from South Glos and a very substantial donation from the Community composting site. So a big thank-you to them and we will be ensuring they receive some good publicity in the spring.
We will be in touch with everyone with more ideas for the Spring.
Newsletter - October 2009
Welcome everyone to the first newsletter of the 2009/2010 season. After the excitement of the last month we are realising that we have to get down to work for next year. As you may have heard we are automatically given a “holiday” from the National competition as we won the overall prize but we still enter the Regional South West In Bloom and need to put on a good show for that!
So, forthcoming events:
Bulb planting for spring flowers: We have been kindly given by South Gloucestershire Council 10,000 native Snowdrop Bulbs and 10,000 native English Bluebell bulbs to be planted in Streamside Walk. Last year we were given a large donation by the family of the late Mrs Loretta Thorne and we have added some of our own funds to this and have more Bluebells, Snowdrops, Crocus and Miniature Narcissus to plant around the town. Our first “mass” planting will be in the morning of Sunday 8th November [with a silence at 11am for Remembrance Sunday]. If you would like to help please meet at the Scout Hut in Park Road at 10am. The area will be safe for children and we would love to see some younger volunteers join us for the fun.
If you would like to help with planting but cannot manage this time please get in touch and we will arrange another session or you can arrange one of your own.
If you are in a school or youth group and would like some bulbs to plant in a week-day session please get in touch.
Our AGM is on Monday 9th November at 7.30pm in the Committee room of the Armstrong Hall. We would welcome anyone interested to come along to hear what is going on.
We do have space for one new committee /team member and if you think you would like to join our team, please do come along. Why not talk to me or one of our other members beforehand to see what is involved. You don’t even need gardening skills because we are in need of a minute’s secretary so if you are interested in what we do perhaps you could help with that. Of course if you are fit, able, practical and keen to get your hands a bit dirty occasionally we would LOVE to have you on board.
Christmas Lights Switch On
This year sees a fantastic joining of two of the town’s voluntary organisations. Thornbury In Bloom is going to be beneficiary of the Christmas Lights Switch-on fund raising which will enable us to continue some major works of permanent planting and replacing worn out wooden planters with long- lasting superior metal troughs.
Singer/songwriter/musician Nerina Pallot is going to join us to switch on the lights and hopefully she will be available to sign copies of her new Album “The Graduate” after the Switch on. Please come and support us on the night and we also could do with some volunteers to collect from the crowds with the plastic buckets supplied by the Christmas Lights. Please contact me if you can help and I will try and draw up a Rota so no-one has to pace the streets for too long a time!
And Finally, Trees: With the problems of the trees outside Wildings the need for greenery in our towns is uppermost in everyone’s minds at present. Let me assure you that Thornbury In Bloom, in conjunction with The Tree Stategy Group, is working to ensure as many new trees are planted as possible. We already have funding for three new mature trees in Moreton Way and we are actively looking for sites to plant more. If you have a suggestion for a site for a new tree please let me know. [South Gloucestershire is already trying to find more sites for trees in the High Street.] Bear in mind you cannot plant over services such as water and electricity, you cannot plant on solid rock, and you cannot plant under power lines and you cannot block the line of sight at a road junction.
If you are interested in sponsoring a tree, either as an individual or a group, the cost, including a dedication plaque will be in the region of £350. [Price may vary slightly according to variety of tree]. Due to the work needed to secure agreement before a tree is planted we cannot promise the planting would be this autumn but tree planting is a long-term , on- going project and the commitment to sponsor a tree gives us something to work on for the future.
Once again thank-you to everyone for the support given to the Town through the support of Thornbury In Bloom. Let me remind you if you are a business, school, council or community group you can use the Title of "National Britain In Bloom Gold Medal and Category winner 2009" when describing your location and inviting people to buy a house here, visit your restaurant here etc etc.
If you would like to help in any way please contact me, Sue Aitken on 01454 419350 or thornburyinbloom@yahoo.co.uk, or visit our website www.thornburyinbloom.co.uk
With Best Wishes, Sue Aitken and all the current team.
Newsletter - 24 Sep 2009
National results Gold Medal and overall best in our group!
Despite this being our first entry to the National Competition we were overjoyed to be awarded one of only two Golds in our category and then to be given the award for
overall best entry in that group!
We were also one of four towns short-listed to win an RHS Discretionary award for
“Quality Of Environment”
The judges comments were that it is the Community Involvement that makes Thornbury stand out from the rest of the competition.
So to EVERYONE who has been involved in whatever way a HUGE THANK-YOU comes from the Thornbury In Bloom team on behalf of the residents businesses and visitors of Thornbury.
AS you can imagine we are already thinking of what we can do to build on our success and if you have any ideas or would like to become involved and help in ANY way, from
fund-raising to plant raising please let us know.
From individuals to Community groups and businesses there will be a way in which you can join in and help make Thornbury a better and greener place to live.
With thanks from all the team:
Sue Aitken, Robert Gorham, Sue Horsfall, Syd Philp, Val Gregory, Tony Sansum, Joan Tuck, Jean Owen, Fran Sparrow, Sue Trowell, Rose Lock, Jenny Evans, Guy Rawlinson and Sandra Richardson.
Newsletter - Jun 2009
JUDGING DATES
Please make a note in your diary, as we now know BOTH judging dates for the town. We will be judged for the regional competition South West In Bloom [which we won last year] on Tuesday July 21st in the morning.
And THE BIG ONE the judging for the National Competition is Monday 3rd August This means that just before those two dates the town has to be “spick and span” free from weeds, litter and graffiti. We will be arranging working parties just before those days so if you are able to help it will be much appreciated. If you can’t help in a big way please just ensure you keep the front of your own house or business premises clean and tidy.
Also if you have been involved in a project, such as at a school, the allotments etc etc-we would like representatives of all ages to meet the judges. I will be contacting individuals but if you are free and would like to join in please let me know.
If you belong to any organisation in the town please ensure you take a copy of this letter to your next meeting! Britain in Bloom is run for all the people in the town by as many people in the town who would like to help!
New Trophy - 24 August 09
This year we have been given a new Trophy by Tony Lines in memory of his Wife Janet and it is to be awarded to the best project by a person or people under the age of 18.
Although the other local competitions have been judged I thought it worth leaving this one open until the end of the school holidays and asking if anyone would like to nominate an individual or group of young people.
The award could cover gardening/alottment work. Perhaps helping elderly people or making a garden where there was none before. or it could cover conservation work, clearing rubbish or litter. It could even be youngsters who have worked to promote a Green Initiative in their environment.
Ideally I would like the award to be made to some young person[s] who have shown some of their own initiative in doing their activities but if the children are very young and have been under adult supervision that too will be considered.
We are aware of the projects at most of our schools but if there is one individual who has really made a difference, we would like to hear about them.