Thanks to those who turned up on Saturday 10th great work was done by the gang. The forecast was not good, but apart from one shower it turned into quite a pleasant morning.  
The 'big chop' to prepare the garden for the winter will take place in October,  all offers of help appreciated.  

​Anyone coming through the gates of the church cannot help but notice how well the new grass on the right hand side is growing.  It was with regret that the long bed Mary Downes had designed and planted over 30 years ago had to be abandoned.  It could not be maintained last year while the roof work was being carried out and had completely overgrown as a result.  The decision was made to grass it in as it would have been be too much work for the small group of gardeners to clear and maintain.  Earlier in the summer, before the work began preparing the ground for the grass seed, some of the smaller plants in the bed were dug up and are being 'minded' and will be replanted in the autumn. Congratulations to the 'watering group' who kept the seed well watered until the hosepipe ban was introduced.  The lovely grass we see now is as a result of a lot of work.

Elsewhere in the grounds work parties meet regularly and continue to maintain the garden.  The most recent was in the middle of August when the group worked hard weeding, dead heading and clearing around the tablets.  Please remember that cut flowers only should be placed on the tablets. We'll meet again sometime in September or October to prepare the garden for winter.  

These work parties take place about five times a year and only last for a couple of hours on a Saturday morning with a break at half-time for a cuppa and chat.   We'd always welcome new faces and stress that no gardening experience is necessary. So why not come along to the next one and see how you get on?

The group met on a beautiful sunny morning for the first clean up of the season last Saturday, 24th March. Everyone got busy weeding, hoeing, chopping, clearing ivy, and enjoyed a cuppa and chat half way through the morning.
Most of the work took place in the Garden of Remembrance to have it looking as good as possible for any visitors over Easter.  As well as the usual tidying of the flower beds and shrubs much of the time was spent cleaning around the memorial tablets.  Please remind anyone visiting the garden that only fresh cut flowers are allowed on the tablets. Containers/pots are not permitted and will be removed, and if the plants are suitable they'll be planted into one of the flower beds.
Work on the other part of the garden, opposite the main door, has still to be tackled and we plan to start that at the next session. It will involve a lot of heavier work so more volunteers would be very much appreciated.