TIME CAPSULE BURIAL & SCHOOL PICNIC 12^TH JULY 2019

The Friends of Miss Whalley’s Field worked with staff and pupils of Christ Church C of E School to fill a time capsule and organise its burial beneath the field’s second bench.  The bench was funded by Lancashire Community Fund.  It is a welcome and much used companion to our first bench at the top of the field, which was funded by the Lancashire Environmental Fund.

The pupils were very enthusiastic about the project and suggested ideas for its content.  The school celebrated the burial by organising a whole school outing to the field.   On a sunny summer day in July the Deputy Mayor attended the event and made a speech congratulating the children for their work.

The whole school then enjoyed a lunchtime picnic on the field.  The site of the time capsule is marked with a plaque with the school’s name and date of its burial.

These pictures show pupils filling in the hole after the burial of the time capsule

Without some sensitive management, Miss Whalley’s Field would very quickly become  inaccessible to many local residents. However it is important that the field is managed carefully, using traditional methods where possible. As a result, (and possibly inspired by the scenes from Poldark which caused such a stir earlier this year!) four members of FMWF joined with members from other local Green Spaces groups to take part in training courses in using a scythe – not something to be undertaken without a bit of tuition!

Courses took place on 20^th June & 28^th September, supported and promoted by Lancaster City Council and Lancaster Green Spaces.  The July training was held on a sunny day at Miss Whalley’s Field and the September training held on a lovely Saturday morning at De Vitre Community Gardens.

The council are also to help with buying scythes and accessories for the field.  As soon as we have these, we will plan working parties to clear the areas within and around the orchard, benches and noticeboards and keep the encroaching brambles and scrub in check.

Anyone else who is interested in learning more about this valuable old country skill is very welcome to contact any of the committee.

Our field is now a Field in Trust dedicated space, meaning it is a type of War Memorial. On Saturday 6^th July 2019 Fields in Trust  held a National Picnic Day.   

The sun shone and local residents gathered to celebrate on Miss Whalley’s Field. 

Local residents Alison Ransome and Mia Moody organised picnics with family members and friends and used the new bench above the mown area as a focal point.  Adults and children took advantage of the summer sunshine and relaxed and played games, as well as enjoying their picnics.

People were still enjoying the welcome summer sunshine late into the late afternoon/ early evening. 

Now that locals are aware of this annual event, hopefully there will be an even bigger response  to next year’s picnic.