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 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:
mowing grass
strimming grass and pathways
removing weeds and overgrowth from pathways
removing weeds from the new planter
At the last Tidy Weekend in September we had a poor attendance:
3 plot-holders attended on the Saturday
3 plot-holders attended on the Sunday
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.
Weeds in a new CACG planter
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.
Weeds on a CACG Pathway
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.
Onny Meadow Pathway
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:
mowing grass
strimming grass and pathways
removing weeds and overgrowth from pathways
removing weeds from the planted beds
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:
CAGG Clearing North East Pathways
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:
mowing grass
strimming grass and pathways
removing weeds and overgrowth from pathways
removing weeds from the planted beds
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.
CACG Paths Before and After Clearing
More recently we have started to re-surface the pathways and this is shown in the photograph below:
Re-surfaced Pathway at CACG
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:
restoring pathways to their original condition
replacing rotten planters
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:
An Original CACG Planter
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:
A New CACG Planter
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 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:
mowing grass
strimming grass and pathways
removing any weeds from already cleared paths
path clearance – continuing path clearance ready for re-surfacing
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.
CACG Path Clearance NE Corner
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.
The Committee of CACG have organised a visit to Bowbrook Allotment Community at Mytton Oak Road, Shrewsbury under the National Open Garden Scheme for the afternoon and early evening of Sunday 9th June 2019.
Bowbrook Allotment Community
Bowbrook Allotment Community organise group visits of between 10 and 30 visitors in order to support the National Open Garden Scheme and they charge a fee of £6 per person which includes tea, coffee, soft drinks and cakes. There is so much of interest that the tour is divided into 2 halves of with a break for refreshments.
The key features of Bowbrook Allotment Community are:
a 5 acre site
93 plots surrounded by beautiful gardens, orchards and wild flower meadows
a nature/interest trail linking the plots
Garden of the 4 Seasons
a Perfect for Pollinators Garden
a Garden of Contemplation
a Prairie Garden
a story-telling willow dome
a willow tunnel
a sensory garden
a turf spiral
More details are provided within this PDF document which also provides some useful links and directions to the Bowbrook Allotment Community.
Bowbrook only offer group visits and CACG are offering this group visit at £6 per person and you can contact me, Sean Scannell, Secretary to make a booking:
01588 238324
sean.scannell@googlemail.com
secretary@cravenarmscommunitygarden.org.uk
Payments of £6 per person are required in advance and tickets are available up to a maximum of 30 visitors on a first-come first-served basis.
Please look at the PDF document which provides more details.
Regular readers will know that we have a project under way at the moment to repair and replace fences at the North East corner of the Craven Arms Community Garden – as described in an earlier post.
The photograph below shows further progress with the fencing – the installation of barbed wire at the top of the new fence on Thursday 23rd May 2019.
CACG Ongoing New Fence Work NE Corner Stage 7
The top of the fence features barbed wire and inside the fence there are Blackthorn and Hawthorn trees. When these have grown they will add to the deterrent and hopefully reduce theft and vandalism.
We have also added vertical extensions to the gate at the north east corner making this very difficult to climb over, as shown in the photograph below. In due course a combination lock will be provided so that plot-holders can gain secure access.
CACG North East Gate Extension
The gate will be unlocked whenever the Discovery Centre is open – so that visitors can walk through the Community Garden.
We are very grateful to Euro Quality Foundation who kindly provided the funds to allow this project to be carried out.
The next Tidy Sunday is Sunday 2nd June 2019. Please note this date for your diary:
Sunday 2nd June 2019
Some members may prefer to attend on Saturday 1st June 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:
mowing grass
strimming grass and pathways
path clearance – in the North-West of the garden towards the gate
path clearance – in the North-East of the garden towards the gate
path clearance – around the central Hornbeam hedge
During the last Tidy Weekend in May, 2 plot-holders made an excellent start on clearing the pathways as described in this blog post. The photograph below shows the “before” and “after” of this pathway clearing.
CACG Paths Before and After Clearing
When the Community Garden was first constructed the paths were designed to be wheelchair-friendly. Over time grass and weeds have encroached on the edges of the paths and in some places the surface has deteriorated.
We are aiming 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 are currently seeking grant funding to purchase the requisite surface dressing to restore the paths, but the first step is to remove the growth encroaching on the paths.
