Report on all the main events of 2019
Great British Spring Clean
On Sunday 21st April members participated in this nationwide event which is organised by the Keep Britain Tidy Organisation. Volunteers cleared a large amount of litter and other rubbish.
The City Council have also removed newly fly tipped bags of rubbish from the River Midge and some of the branches and vegetation tipped on the Ridge side of the Field.
Fields in Trust National Picnic Day Sat 6th July
Our field is now a Field in Trust dedicated space, meaning it is a designated War Memorial. On Saturday 6th July 2019 Fields in Trust held a National Picnic Day when we encouraged the community to take part and enjoy their wonderful green space. On a lovely summer Saturday, 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, 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.
Time Capsule Burial & School Picnic 12th July 2019
The Friends 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.
Over 200 children plus around 20 teaching staff, some of the PTA and Governors from Christchurch school came to the Field for their time capsule ceremony. The Deputy Mayor, Lizzi Collinge (our County Councillor), Caroline Jackson (our local Green Councillor) and Stefanie Gray from the City Council also joined in.
Once again the weather was kind, the sun shone and the ceremony and time capsule burial went well. The whole school then enjoyed a lunchtime picnic in the sun. The site of the time capsule is now marked with a plaque with the school’s name and date of its burial.
Scything Training July & Sept
Without some sensitive management, Miss Whalley’s Field would very quickly become wild and inaccessible to many local residents. It is important that the field is managed carefully, using traditional methods where possible. 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! 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 City Council are to help by buying scythes and accessories. 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.
Annual Firework Display & Bonfire Tues 5th Nov
The Gregson Festival Group gave the community another wonderful firework display on the field. They worked tirelessly to raise money, organise and find volunteers to enable this to happen. Volunteers helped beforehand to ensure the event ran smoothly and safely and with the clear up on the day after. Please keep supporting and offering your time to help this and other community events.
Remembrance Day Monday 11th Nov
Once again local schools took part in a Remembrance service on the field led by The Rev Keith Brockbank. The children gave readings and laid poppies at the memorial stone. Our MP, Cat Smith also attended. We hope to make this an annual event.
CURRENT ISSUES/FUTURE EVENTS & PLANS
Dog Fouling
We continue to liaise with the dog warden to advise on the increasing problem of dog walkers not cleaning up their pets’ mess. The Council provide posters and signs and hopefully the problem does appear to be decreasing. However, this may be due to other public spirited locals who regularly remove other dogs’ mess.
National Tree Planting Day Saturday 30th Nov
Come and help the Woodland Trust meet their plant 1 million trees target. The event is organised by the City Council and Woodland Trust. All welcome: am/pm or both between 9.30 – 4.30. with a child session 2 – 3.30. If you have not already signed up, please contact Stefanie Gray (Parks Development Officer) on 01524 582217 or email: sgray@lancaster.gov.uk
Drainage
We are continuing to work with the City Council on proposals to alleviate the drainage problems on the field. The extent of the work will be assessed and how this can be paid for.
Memorial Garden Plans
Jon Oliver our local arboriculturist and teacher at Central Lancaster High School is working with pupils to design, build and plant a Memorial Garden around the Memorial stone. This is mainly funded by a grant from R & E Wilson Charitable Fund. This will provide the ‘hands-on’ skills and evidence for their NVQ in Horticulture qualification. Work should be starting soon with bulb planting and continue when weather allows.
Wildlife Spotting
An abundance of wildlife has been spotted on the field this year. Baby hedgehogs, several new species of butterfly, 3 species of orchids – please look at our web site for to see the wildlife pages and photos. If you see any wildlife that you think is interesting/unusual or would like help with identifying please e mail fmwfwildlife@gmail.com
More detailed information & news articles available on our website & Facebook pages:-
www.facebook.com/MissWhalleysField
Contact this e mail with any queries or if you would like to get involved in activities.
www.ourlancashire.org.uk – we plan to also post details of future events here.
