Green Space Volunteers
Although we decided that the first working party to be held on 2 January was too close to the start of the new year, the following working parties have been well supported. The gates in Pittville Lawn continue to be well looked after, together with the adjacent garden area. The rockeries adjacent to the upper lake need attention at every working party, as does litter picking. Two teams have been working in the west side of the park, one pruning the beech hedge opposite the boathouse and another clearing self-sown trees from the area of grass containing the fine pine trees south of the lower lake to allow more light. The volunteers have been preparing the beds for the sensory garden and planting new trees west of Tommy Taylors Lane.
We always welcome new volunteers as there is a lot to do, with a variety of jobs to suit a range of skills. If you are interested just turn up at 9.15 am, next to the aviaries, on the first or third Thursday morning in the month or email Susan on volunteer@friendsofpittville.org.uk.
Tree planting on the west side
The CBC Trees Officer plants a number of trees each year on both sides of Pittville Park, quite a few donated by park users. FoP have over the years also planted a number of trees in the west side of the park and to the west of Tommy Taylors Lane and, just as importantly, have looked after them. Some of these trees were obtained from the Woodland Trust and some were donated by a local resident who had been growing them in pots.
FoP have just purchased 15 trees, between four and six feet in height, from the Cheltenham Tree Group. The trees are mainly native trees and include alder, rowan and silver birch, and were planted west of Tommy Taylors Lane to strengthen the two copses of trees that were started a couple of years ago. These will provide shelter for animals once they develop, and hopefully food for birds. The GSVs dug them up from the plot the Cheltenham Tree Group operate in the Midwinter Allotments and planted them during a recent working party.
Author: Chris Archibald