Category: Community

Sunday in the garden…

~ transitiontynedale1 ~ Leave a comment
sunday-gardenA great day was had by all on Sunday 1st July at the Hexham Middle School garden. TT advertised the ‘gardening and picking’ day with notices at the Wentworth Edible Hexham beds, and through the TT email list, and Elizabeth announced to the Hexham East Residents’ Association that there were strawberries ready for picking .
We worked and picked from 11.00 til 1.00, then we were all too hot and went home. Hundreds of strawberries were picked, a couple of punnets of gooseberries, and a few redcurrants – there should be many more of all these fruits in the next couple of weeks. Many thanks are due to Elizabeth and Richard who have tended the garden so well – strawberries sitting on straw, and delightful brick-lined paths through the beds.
There were broad beans ready too, lots of herbs, and some runner beans somewhat struggling in the hot dry weather. The plum and apple trees are looking very healthy and the fruits seem to be in some profusion, so we’ll want to do an autumn picking!
Potatoes are in flower, and I imagine will be ready for digging in late July or early August. We’ll plan another group ‘gardening and picking’ day for Sunday 5th August, 12 noon until 2.00pm. Put it in your diaries.

Edible Hexham – prizewinners !

~ suehick ~ 1 Comment

On the 5th July four stalwart members of Edible Hexham travelled to Alnwick Gardens to learn they had been awarded first prize in the ‘Urban” category of the annual NCC competition ‘Love Northumberland”

Pictured receiving their certificate and award of 350 pounds from the Duchess of Alnwick are Elizabeth Leonard, Sue Hick, Rosemary Theobalds and Wendy Breach.

The awards are given every year to community groups and schools for their work in the environment in Northumberland and improving their local area and community.

The prize money will be put towards more herbs and veg for new planters in 2018 amd for extra signage.

Congratulations to all !

Annual plant swop stall

~ suehick ~ Leave a comment

tt-seedling-swap-2017 (2) (1)

Oue annual plant swop stall at the farmers market will this year be on May 13th. Bring any  spare veg, or fruit seedlings or seeds to the stall to swop with something you don’t have. This is a good chance to try something knew or replace failed crops, you never know what you might find !

This year we are also asking for pollination plants for bees and other insects. If you have nothing to swop don’t worry – just give a donation !

 

New Edible Hexham bed planted

~ suehick ~ Leave a comment

On March 4th the great Edible Hexham volunteers planted up the 3rd bed at the exit of the Wentworth car park. The latest bed has 2 apple trees, black and redcurrants, gooseberries and strawberries in it – lots of delicious fruit for everyone to try.

Hexham was once a famous fruit growing area with many market gardens and orchards – in fact the present Wentworth car park is built upon former allotments and Tesco was a market garden and nursery only 30 years ago. Our 3 Wentworth beds are a tribute to these days and a reminder that anyone can grow their own fruit on their own garden–its so easy !

Many  thanks are due yet again to Ted and Angus, Matty, Roger and Phil for their great efforts. We are always looking for more volunteers so if you are interested in helping please email Sue at suehick3@gmail.com

 

3rd wentworth bed empty
before

 

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planted !

 

3rd ww bed 2
Congratulations on a job well done ! Time for a well earned cuppa!

 

New Orchard for Acomb

~ suehick ~ Leave a comment

Tynedale was once a thriving fruit growing area but with the march of supermarkets and the ‘perfect’ red apple most local orchards have been lost and yet another connection to the source of our food gone. We aim to replace some of these orchards and show that local apples are easy to grow and help to build resilience into our local food supply. Why go to the supermarket when you can get and grow local supplies ?

What better place to start than in a school ?

Saturday 26h November saw 4 hardy Transition volunteers join parents, children and headteacher Angela of Acomb First School come together to plant 14 trees donated by Transition Tynedale. These were given for a new school orchard in the school grounds where they will provide not only a delicious harvest in the future but also a valuable learning environment or ‘outdoor classroom’ for the children.

Many thanks to Matty for organising this and to Gareth, Sue and Phil for help planting the trees. More tree planting days are planned in Hexham in 2017 and if anyone has suggestions for areas which could benefit from fruit trees then please get in touch.

 

Tynedale Fruit Map

~ suehick ~ Leave a comment

Tynedale Fruit Mapapple-and-pear-pic

The new google map is now available for public view to help you all find free fruit in the hedges and fields of Tynedale. The map is ongoing. Everyone is encouraged to send in findings of new trees  and they will be entered onto the map. Click on the link above to access the map.

Please keep your eyes open for fruit trees when out and about and send details of type of tree (apple / pear/ plum etc) and location to me at suehick3@gmail.com  and I will enter them.

This year is a bumper crop for fruit – happy  foraging !!

Sue Hick

Tynedale Fruit Map

~ suehick ~ Leave a comment

For fruit foragers – the Tynedale Fruit Map !

2016 promises yet again to be a bumper year for fruit and yet again a lot of this will not be harvested and go to waste unless picked and processed. To encourage people to find and harvest the fruit trees we are planning to map the location of all fruit trees on public land, beside roads etc – anywhere that people are welcome to collect free fruit.

Do you know of any ‘wild’ trees or trees on public land that are freely accessible? If so please send details of the type of fruit and location and we will enter it on a google map for all to see. Fruit can include apples and pears, crabapples, damsons, sloes etc but not blackberries, mushrooms etc .

Please send info to : suehick3@gmail.com or a member of the Edible Hexham group

Many thanks and happy foraging !

 

Community garden clearup

~ suehick ~ Leave a comment

Sat 17th Sept :   HMS community garden Big Autumn Clear Upf643b1e07496f8f6cbdc8a989e5cc86f     10.30 – 4pm

     Please come and help harvest produce and tidy up for early Autumn . Jobs include :
      – : Harvesting the last potatoes
           Tidying the herbaceous border
            Preparing a new area for 2017 ( previously asparagus )
            Pruning fruit bushes
            Cutting the hedge ( if not done by the school )
           – Any others that need doing !
Something for everyone including children !  Please come for as long as you can and bring a packed lunch . Tea and cakes provided in the afternoon.  All welcome.
If you have not been before this is an opportunity to see what has been happening all year, get involved, introduce friends etc.And have fun doing it !

Annual seed and plant swop stall

~ suehick ~ Leave a comment

As part of our aim of encouraging local food production we are holding our annual plant swop stall at the Farmers market this year on

Saturday 14th May  9am – 2pm  

tt-seedling-swap-2016

This year we are teaming up with the North Pennines AONB and featuring not only the usual edible plants but also those which are attractive to bees, moths, butterflies and other pollinators.

Gardeners – don’t throw away all those surplus tomato seedlings – swop them for another variety or try something completely different ! Please bring any spare veg, fruit or flower seedlings to the stall to swop. Trees and wildflowers also welcome –it’s surprising what turns up !

2016 is United Nations International Year of the Pulse.  We are particularly keen on having plants and seeds of these to swap and we will have seeds available.

If you have nothing to swop but want advice and plants to start growing your own – this is the place to come !

Massive People’s Climate March – Nov 29th

~ suehick ~ Leave a comment

There are moments in history when the very act of people coming together can force change. Sunday 29th November, the People’s Climate March, could be one of those moments.
In just over three weeks’ time world leaders are coming together for the biggest climate meeting of the decade – the Climate Summit in Paris. The day before they meet, people across the globe will take to the streets. It’ll be the biggest climate march in history – aimed at convincing politicians to do what’s needed.

It’s a huge task to drown out the lobbying power of the super-rich dirty coal and oil industries. Which means thousands  need to hit the streets. Will you join too ?

Transition members have a strong track record of coming together to protect our environment. We’ve been fighting battles one by one. But this is a huge global moment and all concerned citizens  need to come together.  This global march is one such moment.

Please come and  join the Newcastle march. Here are the details :

Global People’s Climate March
to be held in Newcastle (and all over the world) on
Sunday 29th November (the day before the summit opens)
-Assembling in Princess Square, beside the City Library, from 1.30pm
-marching at 2.00pm to an open air meeting at the Civic Centre.

Please invite everyone you know. Photos of our event will be beamed to Paris, along with those from many other countries.
Help is also needed with stewarding the march, kids activities, placard and banner makers, ‘flash’ dancers, jugglers , musicians etc. if you can help please contact:

Tony Claydon,   ACT!
Web: act-ne.org
E-mail: info@act-ne.org

For the sake of our children,  grandchildren and theirs.!