Tag Archives: Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre

Sustainable Living Expo and CACG

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On Saturday 28th May 2022 the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre are holding a Next Generation Fair Sustainable Living Expo and the Craven Arms Community Garden will be open to the public in support of this event.

The event will have lots of children’s activities, dancers, music, dog show, food stalls and many displays and demonstrations about protecting Shropshire’s biodiversity.

The Sustainable Living Expo will be held on the Onny Meadows and the Community Garden will be open for visitors to walk through and enjoy our wonderful space.

Refreshments will be offered to visitors to the Community Garden in order to raise funds for the Community Garden.

Open Day and Hay Meadow Festival

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The Community Garden will have an “Open Day” in parallel with the forthcoming Hay Meadow Festival.

Logo for the Shropshire Hills Hay Meadow Festival 2021

On Saturday 24th July the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre are hosting the Shropshire Hills Hay Festival and you can find more information about the Hay Festival 2021 here:

https://www.shropshirehillsdiscoverycentre.co.uk/event/hay-meadow-festival-2/

We plan to open the Community Garden to members of the public from 11:00 to 18:00.

In recent years the Community Garden has been closed to non-members following the introduction of stringent security measures. These were necessary because of ongoing vandalism and theft of produce.

So this “Open Day” is a rare opportunity to visit and enjoy the Community Garden and meet gardeners.

Tidy Saturdays Are Now Tidy Sundays

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The topic of Tidy Saturdays was discussed at the CACG (Craven Arms Community Garden) AGM held on Saturday 2nd February 2019. In order to maintain maximum flexibility for plotholders in attending these monthly communal area maintenance days, it was agreed to change from the first Saturday of the month to the first Sunday of the month.

Hence Tidy Saturdays Are Now Tidy Sundays.

The planned Tidy Sundays dates for 2019 are shown below:

  • Sunday 3rd March 2019
  • Sunday 7th April 2019
  • Sunday 5th May (Bank Holiday weekend) 2019
  • Sunday 2nd June 2019
  • Sunday 7th July 2019
  • Sunday 4th August 2019
  • Sunday 1st September 2019
  • Sunday 6th October 2019
  • Sunday 3rd November 2019
  • Sunday 1st December 2019

This change to Sunday morning also means that with the kind support of Grant Wilson, Centre Manager, Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, we can link up with Discovery Centre volunteers when larger tasks need to be tackled.

Farmers Markets and Volunteers

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The Craven Arms Farmers Market takes place at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre on the first Saturday of each month.

At the last two Farmers Markets the Community Garden have had a stall selling plants and produce and these have been very successful.

Liz Wynn and the Seedy Saturday Stall Saturday 6th June 2015

Liz Wynn and the Seedy Saturday Stall Saturday 6th June 2015

At the August market the range of produce sold from the Community Garden included:

  • blackcurrants
  • gooseberrys
  • kale
  • and redcurrants

Our Chair, Liz Wynn cannot be available for the September and October Farmers Markets due to family commitments. So we are seeking volunteers to help on the stall and at least one volunteer to take charge of the stall on one or both of the next two dates – which are:

  • Saturday 5th September
  • Saturday 3rd October

The role involving taking charge of the stall is quite simple and Liz will explain the coordination that’s required. If you can help on the stall on either or both of these dates – or if you would take charge of the stall on either or both dates – then please contact Liz as soon as possible.

There will be produce and plants available for sale and it would be a real shame to miss out on the opportunity to sell fresh, local produce to visitors to the farmers Market.

Advance Notice of AGM 2016

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Please note the following date for your 2016 diary. The Craven Arms Community Garden AGM (Annual General Meeting) is to be held on Saturday 6th February 2016 starting at 11:30 at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre (SHDC).

The AGM is a chance to discover the work that the Committee have carried out on your behalf during the year and also your opportunity to put your views forward to the Committee.

There will be brief presentations including a summary of the year from the Chair and the Treasurer’s Report.

At the AGM the current Committee will step down and an election will be held for fresh officers for the year.

Closer to the meeting date I will be asking members to advise any items that they wish to attach to the Agenda for discussion at the AGM.

We are very grateful to SHDC who are providing the venue free of charge to us. Tea and coffee will be provided by SHDC from 11:15 and expensed from Community Garden funds.

If you have not visited the Secret Hills Exhibition and met the Mammoth there is an opportunity for attendees of the AGM to visit the exhibition free of charge courtesy of SHDC who are also offering a free guided tour of the Onny Meadow after the AGM. Closer to the date of the AGM I will contact members to gather numbers attending and also identify who is interested in the Secret Hills Exhibition and/or tour of the Onny Meadows.

You can also expect regular reminders about the AGM within our new E-Newsletter.

Family Fun Day – Sunday 14th June

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SHDC Family Fun Day Sunday 14th June 2015The Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre are holding a Family Fun Day and Cycle Sunday on 14th June 2015 to celebrate National Bike Week.

At the Craven Arms Community Garden we are supporting this event with a number of activities including:

A Children’s Gardening Quiz

For the under 12’s, ten questions based on the Community Garden, with a Prize for the winner!

Making Comfrey Tea

Learn how to turn Comfrey into a powerful and natural liquid fertiliser feed.

Starts at 11:30

A Demonstration of Composting Methods

The different approaches and methods of composting.

Starts at 12:00

Watering Techniques to Conserve Water

Learn a variety of techniques for careful watering to conserve this vital resource for gardeners.

Starts at 13:00

Guided Tours of the Community Garden

Learn about the Community Garden and recent developments including how we are becoming sustainable in our rainwater collection and composting and also visit the new polytunnel which extends the growing season.

Tours will start at 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00 and 15:00 and last about 20 minutes.

Booking not required, just turn up.

We hope to see many members, friends and families.
National Bike Week 2015

Solar Powered Water Pumping

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An order has been placed for a Draper Solar Powered Water Butt Pump which will facilitate the automatic watering of plants within the soon to be installed poly-tunnel.

The photograph below is taken from the supplier’s brochure and illustrates the equipment that will be installed.

Draper Solar Powered Water Butt Pump

Draper Solar Powered Water Butt Pump

The solar panel will be located on the existing roof of the new IBC water storage area and the pump will be located downstream from the IBCs so that water feeds the poly-tunnel as required through an irrigation system.

Our grateful thanks to the Ludlow Food Festival for their generosity in funding this purchase within the project to install a new poly-tunnel to supplement the existing micro-allotment capacity of the Craven Arms Community Garden.

Grateful thanks also to Grow Cook Learn and the team at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre for their administrative support.