Some of you may recall from our previous newsletter that we advised that we had been given the opportunity earlier in the year to mount a small display in the entrance to the Local Information Centre, Bingham House, on Dyer Street – one of the two showcases is shown above, including items kindly loaned by the Corinium Museum. As what we are writing now is several weeks later than planned, we are too embarrassed to say how long ago this actually took place.
Amphitheatre
Additional rubber matting has been laid between the end of the pathway coming down from Cotswold Avenue to the dog poo bin. Ignore the fact that the picture looks like there is only one piece, there really are lots of them! Hopefully, this may help improve the very difficult walking situation under very muddy conditions.
Querns Wood and the Hospital Grounds
Basic tree and other maintenance work, but otherwise nothing exciting. However, although not part of our patch, right next door are extensive grounds around the hospital which are very well maintained throughout by……..you’ve guessed it, volunteers, under the umbrella of Cotswold Gardens for All. They meet every Thursday morning with a wide range of work available and, like us, they always welcome new people. If you would like to know more, please contact Andre Curtis on 07960 418459.
Four Acre Field
We had a pre season work party, devoted entirely to the hedgerow, which was getting swamped by all manner of things we don’t want, and which was getting very tall and straggly along the whole length. We had a good turnout of a dozen or so people and we all had our own section to work on, clearing and pruning. Surprisingly, when we had finished, we had pretty much a uniform height from one end to the other.
This really showed what we can achieve with a few extra volunteers. Now, in August, it’s all getting overgrown again and, as it stands at the moment, we don’t have the resource to tackle it again this year. Hint, hint.
On a more positive note, we agreed with the town council a revised policy for No mow May this year which still created additional areas to support the ecology, without losing sight of the main purpose of the field as a recreation area. Overall, this was found to be a very acceptable solution which will be followed for future years.
On an equally positive note, regular users will have seen that the entrance from Chesterton Lane has been significantly improved with the creation of a length of pathway (type 1, apparently, for those who are interested in such things) covering the stretch which was uneven and which would get particularly difficult to negotiate due to mud in very wet weather conditions.
Within a couple of days, we had very complimentary feedback from one gentleman who comes into the field from time to time using a mobility scooter. He always found access from Chesterton Lane very difficult so would come the long way round, to enter from Cotswold Close, itself far from ideal for those with limited mobility. He is now delighted with this improvement, and it is gratifying to learn that such things really do make a difference.
Obelisk
As always, a huge thank you to those who turn up on a regular, or even an occasional, basis, but overall our numbers have been down this year. Even so, we’ve managed to keep the area looking pretty good, and the town council have supported us with clearance of some of the large areas of dense vegetation that we could not tackle on our own.
We have a further work party on Tuesday 3rd September, starting at 18.00, and possibly the last one of the year on Tuesday 1st October (to be confirmed). Extra bodies always welcome
And as always…
More photos and other info on Facebook:
We continue our committee meetings by Zoom on the 4th Thursday of every month (but not December). You are very welcome to join us if you wish. Our next meeting will be on 26th September (which will be our AGM) – all are welcome. If you would like to attend, please contact Alison on aqivasec@gmail.com who will forward the agenda and zoom link.
And if you have friends, family, neighbours or anyone who might be interested in learning more about what is going on, please pass on our contact details.
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