Blossoming…

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A little bit of rain didn’t deter us during our Friday Tidy…

At Roy’s, we split the snowdrops and planted a few miniature tulips. Down at the Kingfisher beds we trimmed back a few of the leggier plants in the nectar bed, just to neaten things up a bit – and then discussed what to do with the ‘edible’ bed. We have big plans for the next month or two – a revamp on the scale of the nectar bed is long overdue!

After a very welcome cup of tea (big thank you to the Kingfisher for that – it was just what we needed to take the chill off!) we headed round to the Quay, to have a look and make some notes. Lovely to see buds on the trees and bushes – it’s all very green at the moment (the wild strawberries are rampant….) with a splash of bright yellow, but it shouldn’t be too long before we get some more colour in there too.

Friday Tidy in March…

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Well, we haven’t been completely idle, even if the blog has been badly neglected! Among other things, bulbs and a few new plants have been added to the Kingfisher bed and a bit of weeding has gone on. There are shoots coming up, and there is some welcome colour to brighten up the (last of…?) the winter months.

So, as Friday 13th approaches (and no, we are not in the least superstitious) we aim to do a round up of what needs to be done in each of the areas we maintain. We will meet at the tubs at the back of Roys at 10:00 and then make our way on to the Kingfisher beds, and finish at the Quay. We hope you can join us at one or all of the sites.

Friday Tidy in December…

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We are taking a bit of a break from the Friday Tidy this month – lots of other commitments, like gathering winter fuel, setting fire to figgy puddings, sourcing some discounted myrrh, as well as some serious wassailing to be done before the big day!

In case you haven’t been there recently this photograph, taken just 10 days ago, shows that there is still some colour to be found in the new nectar bed at the Kingfisher.

We will resume normal service in the new year!

Friday Tidy update…

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Yesterday, we were very pleased to see that the pollinator bed has not only survived, it appears to be thriving. A little bit of weeding, some dead-heading, and a good watering was all it needed. We will add bulbs and other plants as we go into late summer and Autumn to fill all the empty spaces.

Can you spot the butterfly?

The edible bed needed a bit more tlc. So, we’ve trimmed back the rosemary and lavender, got rid of the weeds and grass that had sprung up in between the main plants, and added a few bits and bobs, including marigolds, for colour.

Looking good, don’t you think?

It can be thirsty work, so a big thank you to the lovely folks at the Kingfisher for bringing us a much needed drink!

Friday Tidy in August!

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It’s August already! We have had extreme heat and torrential downpours, but hopefully our newly planted pollinator bed at the Kingfisher has survived all that nature has thrown at it in the last couple of weeks.

This Friday we will visit the Kingfisher to check on the pollinator bed and to tackle the edible bed just around the corner – a bit of weeding, a bit of cutting back, and some planting.

Join us if you can – we’ll be there 10:00-12:00.

Cigarette butts in soil hamper plant growth…

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Whenever we are weeding or watering at the Kingfisher beds, we invariably find quite a bit of litter hidden among the plants – parking tickets, broken bottles, empty cans and, most noticeably, a lot of cigarette butts.

There is an interesting article on the BBC news site today about a study, “led by Anglia Ruskin University, [which] found the presence of butts in soil reduced the germination success and shoot length of clover by 27% and 28% respectively.

Lead author Dr Dannielle Green said while dropping butts seemed to be “socially acceptable”, they had the ability to “cause serious damage to the environment”.

“Ryegrass and white clover, the two species we tested, are important forage crops for livestock as well as being commonly found in urban green spaces.

“These plants support a wealth of biodiversity, even in city parks, and white clover is ecologically important for pollinators and nitrogen fixation.”

She said that the filters can take years, if not decades, to break down.”

Read the full article here on the BBC website.

Job Opportunity…

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We only share job opportunities that are relevant to what we do here at greenerSudbury – this one might be right up your street/green space.

Please contact ActivLives directly for further information!

Job Description

Post: ‘Grow Your Community’ Project Co-ordinator – freelance

Rate: £90 per day (7.5 hours)

Hours: Total 7.5 hours per week. These can split into two half days – one of which should be Thursday morning.
Additional hours may be offered, including occasional evenings or weekends

Duration: 26 weeks September 2019 to March 2020

Base: Sudbury and Great Cornard parks and green spaces with hot desk/ home working for administration (to be agreed)

Office: ActivLives, Brightspace, 160 Hadleigh Road, Ipswich IP2 0HH

Reporting to: ActivGardens Development Manager

Job Summary
The post holder will co-ordinate an existing community horticulture project to provide opportunities for local people to get involved in volunteering and improving their environment in Sudbury and Great Cornard’s parks and green spaces.

A key role will be to facilitate volunteering in Sudbury’s main park, where an established group meets every Thursday morning.

The post holder will also work with disadvantaged adults in building their skills towards employment through horticultural work experience both in Sudbury and further afield, for example, in Ipswich.

The project may involve work in schools with young people.

Aims and objectives
To bring local people together and foster a sense of community through volunteering and activities.
To enhance the health and well-being of local people, especially those experiencing disadvantage through ill health, disability, mental health issue, social isolation, or older people.
To build skills and help “hard to reach” move towards employment.
To build skills, confidence and local pride in young people.
To improve the environment of Sudbury and Great Cornard and surrounding areas and make it a healthier, greener place.

Main Duties of the post holder:

To provide opportunities for people to volunteer in parks and community green spaces in order to gain social and health benefits and improve their environment.
Main session is currently Thursday mornings 10am to 12.30pm in Belle Vue Park

…and another thing!

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Three posts in one day? Only because we wanted to share the pictures taken today by another of our team when she was down at the Quay doing her own Friday Tidy there.

Apparently there are very few sunflowers this year, but lots of poppies and alpine strawberries, as well as the fruit trees and bushes. All of the rain we’ve had has not stopped the soil turning to dust now that the sun is out, but it’s all still looking good.