Please note the following date for your 2021 diary. The Craven Arms Community Garden AGM will be held on Saturday 6th February 20201 starting at 14:30.
The venue will be confirmed closer to the date.
Refreshments will be provided.
The AGM provides the opportunity to review the past year and make plans for 2021.
The AGM is also the ideal time to pay annual plot fees.
The Committee of Craven Arms Community Garden have been awarded a grant of £950 from Celebrate National Lottery 25.
At short notice, we developed and submitted a grant application to secure funds towards the refurbishment of the existing frame in order to bring the polytunnel back into use.
The first National Lottery draw took place on the 19th November 1994, and so the National Lottery celebrates it’s 25th birthday in 2019. So far the National Lottery has helped more than 565,000 good causes.
To celebrate it’s 25th anniversary the #CelebrateNationalLottery25 grants scheme is offering grants totalling £2 million. The individual grants up to a maximum value of £1,000 are being offered to organisations with ideas that help bring the community together.
Our successful grant application was for £950 and this was itemised as follows:
Our plan is to refurbish the polytunnel and bring it back into use, and to celebrate this with an “Open Day” on the 27th May 2020 with a buffet lunch for CACG members and friends. The event will allow us to invite members of other organisations that have provided grants to the Community Garden, including:
When the polytunnel was first constructed in 2015 it was vandalised before it could be used. This grant provides the funds to refurbish the polytunnel for the benefit of members. It will allow the growing season to be extended to cover the period from February through to November.
CACG members will be able to use small plots within the polytunnel for an additional fee – and we will provide more information about this later in the year.
Next year we will be calling for volunteers to help to carry out remedial work on the polytunnel frame and site in readiness for recovering the polytunnel.
The Craven Arms Community Garden, CACG, Annual General Meeting, AGM, will be held on Saturday 8th February. Please note the following date for your 2020 diary.
Saturday 8th February 2020
The AGM will be held in the Craven Arms Methodist Church Hall, Corvdale Road, SY7 9ND and will start at 14:30.
Free refreshments – tea, coffee and biscuits – will be provided.
The 2020 AGM will provide the opportunity to review the past year and to make plans for progress through to 2021.
The AGM is also the ideal time pay any rents due on plots.
The next Tidy Sunday is Sunday 1st December 2019. Please note this date for your diary:
Sunday 1st December 2019
Some members may prefer to attend on Saturday 30th November and I will attend on both Saturday and Sunday.
These are the areas and tasks that we plan to focus on:
At the last Tidy Weekend in November we had a very poor attendance which was probably as a consequence of the heavy rain.
A new list of Tidy Sunday dates will shortly be posted inside the shed door.
The next Tidy Sunday is Sunday 6th October 2019. Please note this date for your diary:
Sunday 6th October 2019
Some members may prefer to attend on Saturday 5th October and I will attend on both Saturday and Sunday.
These are the areas and tasks that we plan to focus on:
At the last Tidy Weekend in September we had a poor attendance:
One plot-holder was unable to attend because of a medical issue.
It is vital that plot-holders attend Tidy Days and make their contribution to the necessary maintenance of the Community Gardens.
The photograph below shows weeds in the new planter we have built – and this requires weeding.
As part of the restoration of the Community Gardens we are removing overgrowth and weeds from pathways before we re-surface them. The photograph below shows the pathway at the North West of the Community Gardens and illustrates the work required.
We also need to start preparations for a new extension to the Craven Arms Community Garden. This extension will be on the south-side of the Community Gardens. The first step will be clear overgrowth to the perimeter of the boundary pathway as shown in the photograph below.
Please make every effort to attend and contribute to the Tidy Days and the maintenance of the Community Gardens – and please note that this is an obligation and requirement as described in the Constitution of Craven Arms Community Garden.
The next Tidy Sunday is Sunday 1st September 2019. Please note this date for your diary:
Sunday 1st September 2019
Some members may prefer to attend on Saturday 31st August and myself and your Chairperson, John Wood, will attend on both Saturday and Sunday.
These are the areas and tasks that we plan to focus on:
During the last Tidy Weekend in August, one plot-holder continued to clear weeds from the overgrown pathways in the north east corner of the Community Gardens. The photograph below shows this weed clearing in progress:
If plotholders complete the clearing of this section of pathways over the weekend of 31st August and 1st September, then we can order some more fines to re-surface the path. This work is all part of a “Re-Generation” project to restore the Craven Arms Community Garden to its former glory.
We are able to carry out this re-surfacing project because we have received a grant from Craven Arms Town Council – to whom we are extremely grateful.
There are several projects under way at the moment to improve the security and appearance of the Community Gardens. If any plot-holder are able to help us with these projects then please contact myself, Sean Scannell, Secretary, or John Wood, Chairperson.
The next Tidy Sunday is Sunday 4th August 2019. Please note this date for your diary:
Sunday 4th August 2019
Some members may prefer to attend on Saturday 3rd August and myself and your Chairperson, John Wood, will attend on both Saturday and Sunday
These are the areas and tasks that we plan to focus on:
During the last Tidy Weekend in July, 2 plot-holders continued to clear weeds from the overgrown pathways. The photograph below shows the results of this weed clearing.
More recently we have started to re-surface the pathways and this is shown in the photograph below:
We have a number of projects under way at the moment aimed at restoring the Community Gardens to their former glory. We are able to carry out this re-surfacing project because we have received a grant from Craven Arms Town Council – to whom we are extremely grateful.
We have several more projects under way to improve the security and appearance of the Community Gardens. If any plot-holder are able to help us with these projects then please contact myself, Sean Scannell, Secretary, or John Wood, Chairperson.
Here at Craven Arms Community Garden we have been busy on a number of projects aimed at restoring the gardens to their former glory. This post describes work to construct a new planter.
Regular readers will know that we have recently received a grant from Craven Arms Town Council. We are using the grant funds to repair and enhance some of the features of Craven Arms Community Garden, including:
Two Committee members have constructed a new planter based on a design developed by your Chairman John Wood.
The original planters are showing their age and in some case are completely rotten, as shown in the photograph below:
As we took this original planter apart it became evident that the wood was rotten throughout and none could be salvaged.
The photograph below shows the new planter we have constructed:
This new planter is constructed from treated timber and we’ve used a plastic lining which should give us a longer life than the original planters. We’ve also taken the opportunity to ensure inclusivity and this planter is wheelchair-friendly.
We are extremely grateful to Craven Arms Town Council for providing us with a grant of £800 which allows us to improve the Community Garden and help preserve this facility for current and future plotholders, their families and visitors.
The Committee of Craven Arms Community Garden have successfully applied to the Connexus Community Development Fund for a grant of £2385 towards our “CACG Regeneration” project.
The Connexus Community Development Fund helps fund communities working together on local projects which have a positive effect in their area.
The grant was sought under the banner of a “CACG Regeneration” project that aims to restore the Community Garden to it’s former glory.
In recent years the Community Garden has started to show signs of it’s age – with the fences, paths, planters and raised beds all showing some disrepair.
As a Committee we have also had to deal with other challenges including vandalism and theft of produce and tools.
The overall aim of the “CACG Regeneration” project is to improve the Community Garden for both members and the wider community, and specific aims are:
In addition to the benefits for CACG members, this “CACG Regeneration” will provide benefits to the wider community by:
The Community Garden is already a communal, cross-generational meeting space and through our CACG Regeneration project we hope to make the Community Garden more attractive to more new members from the local community.
We are very grateful to the Connexus Community Development Fund for this grant which will allow us to protect, enhance and develop the Community Garden for for the benefit of Craven Arms.
There are many small projects within the overall CACG Regeneration and we are always looking for additional help and support from members with these projects. If you are able to help please get in touch with a Committee member.
The logo image used at the start of this blog post belongs to Connexus whose copyright is acknowledged.
The next Tidy Sunday is Sunday 7th July 2019. Please note this date for your diary:
Sunday 7th July 2019
Some members may prefer to attend on Saturday 6th July and myself and your Chairperson, John Wood, will attend on both Saturday and Sunday
These are the areas and tasks that we plan to focus on:
During the last Tidy Weekend in June, 2 plot-holders continued clearing the pathways as described in readiness for re-surfacing. The photograph below shows the results of this pathway clearing.
Over time grass and weeds have encroached on the edges of the paths and in some places the surface has deteriorated. Our aim is to restore the pathways to their original condition and ensure that they are both 1.2 m wide and have a surface that is suitable for wheelchair users and the less able.
We have recently received a grant for £800 from Craven Arms Town Council and this will fund some of the restoration and regeneration projects that we currently have under way.
If any plot-holder are able to help us with these projects then please contact myself, Sean Scannell, or John Wood, Chairperson.