MADELEY COMMUNITY ORCHARD NEWS

                         

Madeley Community Orchard
News 

Welcome to the first of what we intend will be regular updates from Madeley Community Orchard. We hope that you will pass this information on to anybody else who may be interested, or if you would prefer not to receive the information please return the email and we will take your details off the distribution list.

£2,000 to Renovate the Pond

The good news is that there has been a successful application to the Postcode Lottery which has resulted in funding to renovate the pond. The pond is slowly turning into a bog garden and to reverse this process it needs to be relined. We hope that Green Gym will be able to clear out the pond and temporarily remove the top boards from the Broad Walk to give access. Once the work has been completed then the Broad Walk will be reinstated. The actual relining of the pond will be undertaken by ORA Groundcare, who are a local firm, based in Madeley. The work should all be completed by April 2014, when the pond will need restocking, so if anybody has some native pond plants to spare we can find a home for them at the Orchard.

Green Gym

A big thank you to Green Gym who have done fantastic work at the orchard, turning up every other Tuesday whatever the weather! Without their help it would have been very difficult for the volunteers to keep up with the day to day maintenance, let alone the hard graft. The Green Gym volunteers have been invaluable

Mowing

Another big thank you is for Laurence from ORA Groundcare. Who has offered to do the mowing this year free of charge! This is a very generous offer and much appreciated by the volunteers. The money that had been set aside for mowing can now be used for other purposes to be decided.

Allotments

Parts of the orchard have been set aside for small allotment plots for gardeners who live in Madeley, Woodside or Cuckoo Oak. Anybody who is interested should contact info@madeleytowncouncil.gov.uk who will put you in touch with Pam Marshall, the Chair. Currently the plots are available free of charge provided that only environmentally friendly gardening techniques are used.

Volunteering and Events

The volunteer days will restart on Tuesday 4^th February 2014 between 10.00 and 12.00. Anybody who would like to join the small band of volunteers will be very welcome. Jobs for next year will include planting up the potager, replanting the pond, planting potatoes and general TLC.

Diary dates - The first event will be Apple Blossom Day on 6^th April. Details of time and activities will follow. There will be a summer picnic on 13^th July and the Harvest Festival with the Church in September/October.

A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR from all at Madeley Community Orchard

PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL AWARD FOR JOLLY GREEN DAY

On August the 17^th 2013 the Friends of Telford Town park, in conjunction with Telford Green Spaces Partnership, held an event known as Jolly Green Day. The day was a free event for the public to come along and see what was on offer in the way of exciting things to do out of doors, mostly for free. There were community games, water zorbing, crafts and much more. The event was held on the Queen Elizabeth 2 Field, known as the Arena, which is a protected site with the Fields in Trust Organisation (formerly the National Playing fields Association). Jolly Green Day was entered into a competition for the best “Have a Field Day” with Fields in Trust. The Friends were shortlisted out of 100 applicants and subsequently invited to attend an awards ceremony at Lords Cricket Ground in London on the 28^th November 2013. They were up against stiff competition, including Down Lane Park, Tottenham Hale, London and Queensgate Park, Bridlington in Yorkshire.

The moment arrived with athlete Dave Moorcroft OBE and footballer Graeme Le Saux on stage saying “and the winner is…............................................................................Telford Town Park Arena!”

Thanks to all the hard work and effort put in by the Friends and Telford Green Spaces Partnership and the support of many other organisations we had won the best “Have a Field Day with Join In for 2013”.

It is hoped to eventually have the award permanently displayed in the Town Park Visitor Centre.

Chris Pettman (2nd left), Chair of the Friends of Telford Town Park and Janice Williams, Project manager of Jolly Green Day, with Graeme Le Saux (left) and David Moorcroft (right)

IRONBRIDGE GORGE VOLUNTEERING PROGRAMME OCT-DEC 2013

Telford Wildlife Forum 29th October 2013

The Wrekin Forest Volunteers, Telford's Shropshire Wildlife Trust volunteers, will be holding their final Telford Wildlife Forum of 2013 at 7:30 pm on Tuesday 29 October at Horsehay Village Hall, Bridge Road, Telford, TF4 2NF when Andrew Allott, author of the 2011 New Naturalist book 'Marches' will be giving an illustrated talk entitled 'Wildlife and landscape of the Marches'.

He will talk about the special features of the wildlife and landscape of the Marches with a particular focus on the Telford area.  Both natural and post-industrial features will be covered.

There will also be a round-up of local conservation news.

Entrance is £2 for Shropshire Wildlife Trust members and £3 for non-members, which includes free coffee or tea, and biscuits.

This promises to be a very interesting evening and it would be greatly appreciated if you would publicise the event for us.

For further details see attached poster or contact Stephen Mitchell - 01952 590820 / 07842 137410 or Rob Doran - 01952 407021 / 07926 387733.

Please feel free to pass this e-mail on to anyone you think may be interested.

Thanks in anticipation.

Stephen Mitchell

Wrekin Forest Volunteers

stephen@smitch.plus.com

Love Your River Volunteer Opportunities

Please Book your place on chosen activities with Matt Hawkins, River project officer, on 01743 232394 or matth@shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk.

All activities require sensible outdoor clothing according to weather conditions and safety footwear. Please bring plenty to eat and drink. Training and equipment such as tools and gloves will be provided by Shropshire Wildlife Trust on the day.

For the availability of drop offs and pick ups please contact Matt as above.

GOING FISHING?

Following the success of coaching sessions over the summer, another series of free angling training sessions is being held at Telford Town Park this autumn! Suitable for all skill levels, particularly beginners!

Saturday 5th October

Saturday 19th October

Saturday 26th October

Saturday 2nd November

Saturday 9th November

All sessons will run from 10am – 2pm. All equipment provided.

*Please note – there is no session on Saturday 12th October*

Suitable for age 9+. Under 13s must be accompanied by an adult.

Spaces are limited, please book to reserve your space. To book or for further information please call 01952 382 340 or email TelfordTownPark@telford.gov.uk

SMALL WOODS TRAINING PROGRAMME AUTUMN 2013

WOODLAND BUSHCRAFT TRAINING

A unique opportunity for parents and children to get really close to nature and experience the world of woodland Bushcraft with expert tuition from the Small Woods organisation. See poster for details and for more information about the Small Woods organisation click here - http://smallwoods.org.uk/

The Secret Storms of Telford

The story of the floods of 24th September 2012 which, thanks to the work of a a small group of engineers in the 1960s, passed almost unnoticed under our feet rather than through our homes. A fascinating story of the system of lakes and culverts which incidentally link many of our green spaces. Today, more than half a century on from its construction, that system is still coping effectively with flood levels which in other areas have caused massive devastation and loss. The video is in two part - part 1 is here and part 2 here.

FANCY A WALK OR A LITTLE TRAINING?

Anyone for an interesting insect walk in the park? or how about angling training in one of the pools? Just two of the options over the summer on the schedule published by Telford and Wrekin Council. Spaces are limited and those wishing to participate must register. For further information or to book a place please email catherine.penney@telford.gov.uk or call 01952 384776

JOLLY GREEN DAY

Come and have a Jolly Green Day in the Park

The Friends of Telford Town Park and Telford Green Spaces Partnership will be holding their first Jolly Green Day to promote all that is fun and healthy about the great outdoors on Saturday 17 August 2013 on the Queen Elizabeth II Field (formerly the Arena) in Telford Town Park.

The event will take place from 11am to 4pm and visitors of all ages will be able to find out about the many projects going on locally to support our wildlife, rivers, parks and open spaces as well as the very latest developments in energy conservation and recycling. There will also be plenty of fun activities on offer.

Jolly Green Day is being organised to mark the tenth anniversary of the formation of the Friends and the successful first year of the Telford Green Spaces Partnership, a forum of 19 voluntary groups who all support and protect various public green spaces in and around the Borough of Telford. The event is supported by Telford & Wrekin Council, The Southwater Event Group, Carillion plc, Shropshire Events and Shropshire Wildlife Trust.

Event visitors will be able to find out about the many projects going on locally to support our wildlife, rivers, parks and open spaces as well as the very latest developments in energy conservation and recycling.

There will also be plenty of fun activities on offer including water zorbing on Spout Pool, land zorbing on the arena, giant board games, sports day races, tag rugby, cycling and go karts, coracle making and outdoor crafts.

The programme will also include a plant sale, musical performances by The Darby Singers and the Thompson Oldeman Band, appearances by characters from Wonderland and Town Crier, Percy Simmonds, a raffle with a top prize of one week’s holiday for two adults to Spain plus lots of other prizes. Tickets are on sale now at the Bicycle Hub in the Park and will be on sale during the event with the draw taking place at 3pm.

Jolly Green Day is organised by The Friends of Telford Town Park and The Telford Green Spaces Partnership and supported by Telford & Wrekin Council, The Southwater Event Group, Carillion plc, Shropshire Events and Shropshire Wildlife Trust.

Admission to the event is free however some of the activities are subject to a small charge.

Free car parking is available on the Telford International Centre and Dark Lane car parks (subject to availability). Alternative parking is available on the Telford Shopping Centre car parks (fee payable)

For further information visit the event website