Community grow your own scheme raised planter opportunity

Currently we have a limited number of raised planters available for allocation on the soon to be developed north plot community grow your own scheme.
We believe that, among the main health benefits of such as scheme would include; increased opportunities for physical activity, improved mental health and well being and the increased availability of fresh food. We also hope that by working in partnership with health organisation involved in both the mental health and disability sectors it will help to reduce the stigmatisation and isolation that both those suffering with mental health conditions and those with disabilities can feel.

For reference, you can view and download the grow your own scheme user policy here

Although availability is limited, you can still express your interest in the potential use of a raised planter in writing, by post to:

Marsh Street Arches and Garden CIC
c/o CHNMT Office
242/244 Dalton Road
Barrow in Furness
LA14 1PN

or by email to: greenheartden@aol.com

Current Company membership

Following a recent recruitment drive we are pleased to confirm details of our current Directors and Members of Company, as follows.

Current Directors of Company:

• Ian Bell
• Steve Robson
• Scott Gomersall
• Joe Wardman

Currents Members of Company:

• Andy High
• Rebecca Rawlings
• Graham Bromley
• Paul Zaccarini
• Lisa Millard
• Phil Robson
• John Irving
• Ian Laird
• Sandra Brewer
• Patricia Thomas
• Rebecca Allen
• Robert Smith
• Margie Arts
• Veronica Whatley
• John Opie
• Lynda Lea Shaw
• Jon Lyons
• Alan Tickle

Please see the Membership application form below if you would like to become a valued Member of the Marsh Street Arches and Garden Community Interest Company. It costs nothing to become a Member and there are many benefits such as:

• Be first to receive regular news and updates.
• Have a “first option” in invitations to events, activities and potential training etc.
• Have a say in the management and the future of the Company.
• Be able to vote at Members meetings.
• Be able to stand as a Company Director.
• Receive the accounts of the Company.

You can download a membership form here

A comma butterfly enjoying our purple sage and chives

Quote for the week.......

"The more help a man has in his garden, the less it belongs to him." - William M. Davies

The Acorn Awards

Lemos&Crane presents The Acorn Awards – offering total prize money of £1,500 - for projects that use nature to enhance and improve the lives of vulnerable or socially excluded people, generating positive outcomes such as health and well-being, new skills and knowledge, new relationships, and a sense of purpose and belonging.

  Examples of projects might include:

• Appreciating nature – eg walks and trips, learning and study, capturing or expressing nature through the arts, etc
• Working with nature – eg growing things, gardening, cultivating land, improving environments and neighbourhoods, etc
• Preserving nature – eg ‘green’ projects, sustaining wild-life and habitat, looking after animals etc

Entries are invited from organisations that provide:

• Supported housing
• Adult social care
• Criminal justice
• Social housing
• Community regeneration

Deadline for entries – 5pm Friday, Nov 18, 2011
Shortlist announced – Monday, Dec 5, 2011
Winners announced – Monday, Dec 19, 2011

For more information please visit their website here

Installing the north plot reptile fence

Our volunteers with assistance from Central and Hindpool Neighbourhood wardens helping to install the reptile fence along the boundary of the wildlife banking.

The fencing was a requirement of the phase 1 habitat survey.

Cheers all, it was very much appreciated. What would we do without our valued volunteers and Central and Hindpool Neighbourhood Management Team.

Wildlife banking appears to be a healthy habitat

It was reassuring to hear from ecologist Penny Ward, during her visit as part of the phase 1 habitat survey, that the wildlife banking appears to be a healthy, diverse habitiat and excellent for reptiles such as the common lizard.  This week we will be installing a reptile fence along the boundary of the banking in an effort to retain and protect reptiles on the banking during construction of the adjacent grow your own scheme.

The Common Lizard, is a very useful indicator species of the health of habitats.

There are six native species of reptile in the UK and all receive protection under UK law. Smooth snakes and sand lizards have a highly restricted distribution in the UK and receive full and stringent protection under The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) (as amended).
Slow worms, common lizards, adders and grass snakes are common in the UK and receive partial legal protection under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act: it is illegal to intentionally kill, injure, trade or sell these species.

You can find more information about UK reptiles and amphibians here

Quote for the week......

"Despite the gardener's best intentions, nature will always improvise" - Michael P. Garafalo

Community Green Spaces: Essential green Infrastructure

Community Green Spaces - Essential Green Infrastructure has been produced bythe  Our Green Space  -  A Cumbria wide partner project which aims to celebrate and enhance the heritage, cultural, environmental and community value of open spaces.

 You can download a copy here

FREE Autumn hog roast event

We would like to invite you to a FREE Autumn "hog roast" event to be held on the Green Heart Den between 2pm - 4pm on Saturday 1st October. The event will include live music from Sidewalk and free food. The Spit Hog roast provided by Hartleys of Dalton will include; jacket potatoes, fried onions, gravy, apple sauce and stuffing, bread rolls, seasonal tossed salad, coleslaw, tomato and basil salad, waldorf salad, beetroot and balsamic vinegar, pasta salad, rice salad, cous cous and smoked bacon.

Our oral history group are also providing a stand at the event, detailing their work over the past three years (researching the local heritage), and would be happy to speak with any visitors interested with the history of the site and surrounding area.

Funding to enable the event has been provided by Our Green Space, a Cumbria wide three year partnership project supported by Heritage Lottery Funds "Your Heritage" grant scheme.

Stainless steel overhead wires for the arbour

Overhead stainless wires have now been installed on the arbour to allow support for climbing plants. This work was conducted by Gilmour Fabrications Ltd and funded by Our Green Space.

More pictures detailing the arbour installation process can be viewed on our Flickr photo gallery here.

Preparing for the installation of stainless steel over head wires

Overhead stainless wires are being installed on the arbour to allow support for climbing plants. This work is being conducted by Gilmour Fabrications Ltd and funded by Our Green Space.

A visiting Red Admiral butterfly

Installation of the new gates

The work to fabricate and install the new gates is being conducted by Gilmour Fabrications Ltd, project Managed by Marsh Street Arches and Garden CIC and funding by Our Green Space.

A green shield bug enjoying the sun.... and our bamboo

Quote for the week.......

"The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses" Hanna Rion

A slow worm venturing out between showers

Slow worms are common in the UK and receive partial legal protection under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended): it is illegal to intentionally kill, injure, trade or sell them.

Preparing for the new gates

The work to fabricate and install the new gates is being conducted by Gilmour Fabrications Ltd. This work is being project Managed by Marsh Street Arches and Garden CIC and funding by Our Green Space. The new wall was provided with funding and technical support from Barrow Borough Council and using bricks as previously donated by Thomas Armstrong Construction.

Common Lizard basking in the sun

A Common Lizard, also know as a Viviparous Lizard, basking in the natural wildlife banking .

The Common Lizard, is a very useful indicator species of the health of habitats.

There are six native species of reptile in the UK and all receive protection under UK law. Smooth snakes and sand lizards have a highly restricted distribution in the UK and receive full and stringent protection under The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) (as amended).

Slow worms, common lizards, adders and grass snakes are common in the UK and receive partial legal protection under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act: it is illegal to intentionally kill, injure, trade or sell these species.

A bumble bee enjoying plants in our raised planters.

In the past 70 years two species of bumblebee have become nationally extinct, and others are have dramatically declined. In short, bumblebees are in trouble............

"Bumblebees are key factors in our wildlife. If they disappear many of our plants will not bear fruit" - Sir David Attenborough.

If you would like to find our more about bumblebees and discover how you may be able to help them, please visit the Bumblebee Conservation Trust website here.

Tender review meeting

Later today we are meeting with Groundwork, during which would hope to; review the tenders for the north plot grow your own scheme, appoint a contractor, identify a way forward in terms of deadlines and timescales, and confirm with Groundwork how they will be project managing the construction process.

You can download the grow your own scheme user policy here.

You can view and download the planting scheme here.

Water seepage is becoming worse, Greengate Street bridge structure

Inspite of the excellent work of AMCO Amalgamated Construction in conducting minor repairs to areas of brickwork on Greengate Street bridge structure, as commissioned by Network Rail, the water seeping through Greengate Street bridge structure is visible getting worse, as the pictures below will hopefully demonstrate. These were taken about 4-5 brick courses below the parapet on the south side of the bridge structure, facing the Green Heart Den.

As the water seepage is visibly worse during and following rainfall it is understsood that the water, in all likelihood, is coming from the road surface/road drains on Greengate Street above.

FREE Autumn hog roast event

We would like to invite you to a FREE Autumn "hog roast" event to be held on the Green Heart Den between 2pm - 4pm on Saturday 1st October. The event will include live music from Sidewalk and free food. The Spit Hog roast provided by Hartleys of Dalton will include; jacket potatoes, fried onions, gravy, apple sauce and stuffing, bread rolls, seasonal salad, coleslaw, pasta salad and rice salad. More details to follow.

Our oral history group are also providing a stand detailing their work over the past three years (researching the local heritage), and would be happy to speak with any visitors interested with the history of the site and surrounding area.

Funding to enable the event has been provided by Our Green Space, a Cumbria wide three year partnership project supported by Heritage Lottery Funds "Your Heritage" grant scheme.

Poplar hawkmoth caterpillar

We hope to have correctly identified the Poplar Hawkmoth caterpillar? found on one of our raised planters.

new wall and railings

While awaiting to appoint a contractor and begin construction of the grow your own scheme, we have progressed the installation of the new boundary wall and railings.

The work to fabricate and install the new railings is being conducted by Gilmour Fabrications Ltd. This is being project  Managed by Marsh Street Arches and Garden CIC and funding by Our Green Space.
The new wall was provided with funding and technical support from Barrow Borough Council and using bricks as previously donated by Thomas Armstrong Construction

Community grow your own scheme, tender review update

We have confirmed a meeting with Groundwork early next week to review the returned tenders and appoint a contractor for the community grow your own scheme.

Groundwork, on behalf of Marsh Street Arches and Garden CIC, are responsible for the delivery of the grow your own scheme in their role as:

• The Accountable Body, Groundwork will be responsible for issues such as fund raising, fund management, submitting funding bids, drawing down funding and paying contractors. They have confirmed funding from various sources such as; Marks and Spencer, WREN, BBC Communities for Health, Cumbria Waste Management Environmental Trust and NHS Cumbria.
• Project Managers, working on behalf of the Marah Street Arches and Garden CIC, Groundworks responsibility will include among other issues; the provision of landscape design services, producing contract documentation, organising the tendering process, overseeing and supervising all work onsite, inspecting progress and ensuring quality of workmanship.

We believe that, among the main health benefits of such as scheme would include; increased opportunities for physical activity, improved mental health and well being and the increased availability of fresh food. We also hope that by working in partnership with health organisation involved in both the mental health and disability sectors it will help to reduce the stigmatisation and isolation that both those suffering with mental health conditions and those with disabilities can feel.

You can view and download a copy of our grow your own scheme user policy here

You can view our grow your own scheme photo gallery on Flickr here

Water seepage is getting worse, Greengate Street Bridge structure

Inspite of the excellent work of AMCO Amalgamated Construction in conducting minor repairs to areas of brickwork on Greengate Street bridge structure, as commissioned by Network Rail, the water seeping through Greengate Street bridge structure is visible getting worse, as the pictures below will hopefully demonstrate. These were taken about 4-5 brick courses below the parapet on the south side of the bridge structure, facing the Green Heart Den.

Lawn care maintenance

New volunteers David and Bryan edging our lawn.

Quote for the week.....

"There is more pleasure in making a garden than in contemplating a paradise." - Anne Scott-James

Natural England - Opening green doors

Natural Englands publication "Opening Green Doors - Doorstep greens and community green space" describes the Doorstep Greens initiative as a catalyst for other community regeneration and the stories from the communities provide an inspiring model for similar community greenspace schemes.

If you would like more information please visit their website here.

Community orchards - How to guide

Communities and Neighbourhoods publication "Community Orchards, How to guide" is designed to help you by making the most of the space in your local area for this purpose.

For more informtion please visit their webpage here

Community Orchards - Case studies

Community and Neighbourhoods publication "Community orchard, case studies" illustrates the great work that is going on in communities to create and manage community orchards for the benefit of local people.

For more information please visit their webpage here

Potential funding for community green spaces

The Communities and Neighbourhoods publication "potential funding for community green space" sets out sets out the potential funding available to community and voluntary organisations for community green space initiatives. It identifies the different grant schemes open to local groups, green spaces, allotment organisations or trusts, and also where to go to get help when looking for funding. 

For more information please visit their webpage here         

Quote for the week....

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order" - John Burroughs

Cancer research fundraiser

Extended species habitat survey

Ecologist Penny Ward conducting the extended, phase one habitat survey on the north plot.

Bumblebee enjoying the Vipers Bugloss

Bumblebee enjoying the Vipers Bugloss on the north plot banking.

Community grow your own planting scheme

Among the plants on the north plot grow your own planting scheme will include:
Euonymus emerald gold

Syringa Vulgaris Sensation -  Lilac

Viburnum Tinus

You can download details of the planting scheme here

Poplar Hawkmoth caterpillar, we think

A Popular hawkmoth caterpillar among the purple sage in one of our raised planters.