Male common blue butterfly making the most of our yellow rattle

Small white butterfly

Returning to feed the youngsters

A bright and colourful May

Quote for the week.......

"The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves" Helen Keller

Osteospermum (African daisy)

Some of our apple trees in blossom

FREE "cook and eat" sessions in July

Please find details below of our free cooks and eat sessions which will be taking place in July.

Friday 3 July, 10.30-1pm Rooting for success - a cook and eat session exploring how roots give us energy and help us to be fit

Friday 10 July, 10.30-1pm Leaves for good luck - cook and eat session exploring how leafy vegetables can give us vitamins and minerals and help us to stay healthy

Friday 17 July, 10.30-1pm Flowers for fun and health - cook and eat session learning about the different flowers we can grow and eat and the benefits to our health

Friday 24 July, 10.30-1pm Fruit and seeds for healthy energy and vitamins - cook and eat session exploring fruits, grains and seeds you can grow and eat

All places on the sessions are by booking by email to: neighbourhoodmgt@barrowbc.gov.uk or by calling 01229 876546.

All sessions are free thanks to funding we have received from Cumbria County Council’s Healthy Weights Grant scheme.

Dock Museum - Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014 - 30 April to 31 May 2015

Dock Museum – exhibition – (poster below) Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014 - 30 April to 31 May 2015

The acclaimed Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition premieres at London's Natural History Museum each year before touring more than sixty cities in the UK and across the world. It showcases the award-winning images, bringing the talent and vision of each photographer to all who visit. This stunning exhibition is coming to the Dock Museum and Barrow-in-Furness for the first time in 2015. Admission is free.

Common lizards basking in the sun

Thank you to Lake District Farmers Armstrong Family Charitable Trust

We would like to thank Lake District Farmers Armstrong Family Charitable Trust for their very generous donation of £1,000. It is very much appreciated and will make a real difference to our project. The donation will help us to keep the site open, maintained to a high level and also allow us to continue providing free horticulture and cook and eat type training workshops.

Bluebells in the undergrowth

Welcome to pupils and staff from Ramsden Infants school

Checking our home made hedgehog boxes

Our communal herb planter

Thank you to Age UK Barrow for the kind donation of a recently refurbished bench

We would like to thank Age UK Barrow for their generous donation of a bench they have recently refurbished. It is very much appreciated.

Re-potting tomato seedlings in the poly tunnel

Our mini beast hotels are blending in nicely

Why build a mini beast hotel?

We need mini-beasts, they perform a wide variety of beneficial services from plant pollination to water purification. They are also an important source of food for mammals and birds. Some wild invertebrates, such as bumblebees and solitary bees, are declining in numbers in the wider countryside, so we can contribute to their conservation by creating bug hotels, which are often interesting, attractive and fun to make.

What makes a good bug hotel?

The best bug hotels have lots of small spaces in different shapes and sizes and made from different materials. Ideally some should be nice and dry inside, and others a bit dampish. They are generally made from reclaimed materials, or natural objects, which reduces cost, helps them blend in with their surroundings and is probably more attractive to the mini-beast guests.

Little blue birds.....preparing their nest box

A welcomed visit from pupils of Sacred Heart Primary School

Re-potting tomato seedlings in the poly tunnel

Transplanting nasturtiums and calendula

Our Spiraea 'Arguta' (bridal wreath) in blossom

Spiraea argute - (also known as Bridal Wreath) is a hardy deciduous shrub, one of the early varieties, grown for its mass of small dainty white flowers and arching stems that appear from mid to late spring. This wonderful deciduous shrub is relatively easy to grow and perfect for use as a hedge or as a free standing shrub in the garden.

Slow worms making the most of the April heat

Bathed in sunshine

A variety of crops being grown in the poly tunnel

Transplanting teasel seedlings onto our wildlife banking

Routine maintenance for our compost toilet

Time to clean some of our tables

Our friends at Cadas have been busy sowing crops in the poly tunnel

A common carder bumblebee

One of our common lizards basking in the sun

First sighting of a peacock butterfly this year

Some of our hostas beginning to make an appearance

New growth for the hawthorn in our mixed hedging

Time for a little lawn maintenance

How to grow potatoes

What could be more satisfying than the fresh flavour of newly dug potatoes lifted straight from your own vegetable plot? They are very versatile and can be grown in practically any kind of soil and will quite happily grow in containers.

If you would like to learn more about growing potatoes you can find some excellent free advice on the Royal Horticultural Society website here.