Dear fellow gardeners,
Thanks to everyone who came to our summer BBQ and picnic… you gave us great feedback and several requests for a similar event in September to celebrate our 70th birthday. So let’s keep our fingers crossed for an Indian summer and watch this space for a date in the autumn to get together and have more fun.
70th celebrations
We start our 70th celebrations later this month at RHS Tatton where we’ve been invited to display a community garden. We’re very excited about this opportunity and we need volunteers please to help us prepare and care for plants and props for our community garden.
Designed by our plot holder Maria Stripling, we’re going to recreate a 1950s allotment titled Salad Days , a joyful mix of summer planting and with reference to the meandering River Mersey and our rich silt floodplain.
We’d be very grateful if you could please search out your sheds to see if you have vintage props that could assist such as an old wheelbarrow, wooden trug , willow basket, a metal watering can or spade or tools.
We’d love a 1950s style table and two chairs that we could decorate with a retro flask, some tin mugs and plates and a canvas or leather satchel for carrying vegetables.
And now the important part … the plants. Please could you spare us some of your vegetables such as colourful salad leaves, French beans, Jerusalem artichokes, broad beans, beetroots, onions, potatoes or cucumbers or other salad vegetables. They’ll need to be looking in great condition for planting out at Tatton between July 15 to 21.
We’ re also searching for a van to save us driving several cars out to Tatton …so if anyone has access to a van on Monday 15th and Sunday 21st that would be fantastic. Thankyou!
Also, would you like to go on the watering rota for the show… we will get free passes for a limited number of people to water the plot every day…. this will be hard work but you won’t need to stay on the plot all the time, you will be able to wander round the rest of the show as long as you keep Salad Days well watered!
This has all happened very quickly so we are working at a great pace and determined to do ourselves very proud. Bradley Fold has a great history and we are excited to be sharing it with so many folk via the RHS. Maria has designed an exciting space and it would be great if colleagues could now help to make it as lush and vibrant as possible.
Do get in touch if you think you can help… either reply to this email or message me privately, or WhatsApp me on 07468 612684. Thanks very much and look forward to hearing from you! If you’re visiting Tatton under your own steam, drop by to say hello…our display will be on plot 263.
Debris collection
Thanks also to everyone who used the debris corrals to tidy their plots of wood, metal and plastic waste. There were a couple of teething problems but those were quickly sorted and the grab wagons have now attended to empty both bays. We are closing off the corrals now until later in the year because it does cost us money and we encourage plot holders to manage their waste sensibly until the corrals reopen.
Community Access Plot
Thanks also to everyone who’s discussed moving to the Community Access Plot by the polytunnel. This has been set up to help folk who can no longer manage their full plots but want to remain a part of our allotment community. More details from Lizkolbeck12@gmail.com and Julie.a.heydon@manchester.ac.uk. The Lord Mayor of Manchester visited last month to praise the volunteers who have raised funds and worked so hard on the construction. Work continues to progress on the plot and on the turning point nearby.
Produce Days
July 28 and September 1 are produce days when excess fruit and veg can be distributed to local charities. Please leave your contributions in boxes on plot 41F. Thanks to Linda Fildes, Godfrey Wilson and Christine Clarke for organising this. If anyone would like to help please contact Linda on ljfildes@gmail.com
Volunteers
We continue to ask you to volunteer to help improve the communal areas of the allotments …you can assist in the shop …drop by any Sunday between 11 and 12 to out your name on the rota. Or you can help in the monthly working parties in the first Sunday of every month ..meet outside the shop at 11.30.
And finally.
Another date for your diary…the Christmas event will be held on Sunday December 15 in St Cath’s community hall. More details later in the year.
With best regards , Janine Cottingham Chair
On behalf of the committee of Bradley Fold Allotments.