Friends of Grozone meeting Wednesday 14th September
Welcomes
Welcome everyone to the meeting and thanks all for attending
Actions from last meeting
Cherry plum net put up and now taken down.
Question for sponsored walk- Can Justgiving accounts be set up for individuals or does it have to be Grozone or groundwork? In order to get sponsorship via facebook.
Other projects/partnerships
Any other business
Date of next meeting
Wednesday 12th October 1.30pm
Welcomes
Welcome everyone to the meeting and thanks all for attending
Actions from last meeting
Cherry plum net put up and now taken down.
- Tarpaulins still need to be put up over the forest school area.
- Sponsored walk: route and date to be agreed by Andy & Pete, discussions as to the most accessible route, Carey Park and the flashes near Marbury park deemed best.
- St Helens coffee morning was attended and raised around £60.
- Andy still to investigate voice recorder.
- A huge amount of work has gone into making the kitchen roof water tight before our open day on the 21st September, monumental team effort, thanks everyone for all the work put in.
- Work continuing steadily on the wheelchair ramp for the toilets, platform nearly all in place and work started on the kick boards.
- Compost toilet emptied and seat moved ready to start refilling a new bag!
- Badgers and foxes have been seen on a trap camera borrowed from Ginger and Browns pet shop in Blakemere craft village, big thanks to Josh and Rachel for that. A couple of the videos are on their Facebook page and play in the shop on a daily basis for all locals to see the wonderful wildlife around Northwich.
- Lots of seed collection happened, particularly from the wildflower meadow, ready for resowing next year.
- Lots of processing the wood delivered from the work in Crewe, to tidy it up and build wood stores for the wood to season in.
- Lots of work to keep the site tidy has taken place, huge amounts of weeding and cutting back as well as path maintenance and watering.
- Lots of food growing has taken place despite the slug attacks and the dull weather, including runner and French beans, rhubarb, apples, chillis, tomatoes, spinach, pak choi, rocket, raspberries, red currants, potatoes, leeks, pumpkins, heaps of lettuce and of course the aubergine!
- Grozone Open Day, Wednesday 21st September 12.30pm to 3.30pm. A normal Grozone day, with a lunch put on for everyone, volunteers and visitors. An apple press has been hired from Transition Chester, so anyone with apples and wanting juice should bring them along that day to be squeezed! Also bring clean plastic bottles if you want to take juice home with you.
- Workshop Programme was launched in July, with a learning workshop each month on a Friday, aimed at general public with a much discounted rate for regular volunteers, however none of the workshops have been attended by anyone yet. Team to look into why, publicity? Day of the week? Type of course offered? SW mentioned that John Deans and Mid Cheshire college send out a programme of adult courses, could we put ours on there?
Question for sponsored walk- Can Justgiving accounts be set up for individuals or does it have to be Grozone or groundwork? In order to get sponsorship via facebook.
Other projects/partnerships
- Had two visits from pupils from a Pupil Referal Unit in Crewe on 8th/9th with varied success, some pupils very engaged and others not so much. 2 from year ten may come on a regular basis.
- Meeting set up with Roots to Wellbeing on Friday 16th Sept to see the potential of Grozone running Horticultural sessions.
- Salford University Occupational Therapists have agreed to send a placement student from the Occupational Therapy course.
Any other business
- The fish are being fed too much, so from now on, whoever lifts the covers off the fish pond in the morning feeds the fish the designated amount of food (to be indicated in a vessel by Andy) and not fed the rest of the day by anyone else please.
- Andy to investigate the possibility of Grozone Volunteer t-shirts. Lots of the volunteers very keen to have a t-shirt or hoodie with Grozone logo on. Need to keep costs low and run them past the volunteers before ordering. Different colour from staff needed, dark green best?
Date of next meeting
Wednesday 12th October 1.30pm