Our Group is just coming to the end of a busy period of work and activities and so the Easter break is a good to time to review what we have been doing and what lies ahead.
This year we have so far kept up to date with the maintenance of all our sites starting with a good (if rather wet) session in Burnt Hill Wood in January. More recently we have swept up the last of the autumn leaves in Middle Bourne Lane and planted some rose bushes there and given the Crossroads site a good clean up prior to Easter. We also paid great attention to the Old Church Yard in preparation for Palm Sunday when the Church once again opened its morning service there. Before processing into the Church. We were delighted when the new Vicar, the Reverend Sandy Clarke opened the proceedings by drawing attention to the role of our Group in keeping the site looking so lovely, which it was thanks to the daffodils and primroses giving a fine show.
We have also been busy throughout the month of March with Toad Watch on Boundary Road in Rowledge. This involves not only our members but also other local conservationists who have been thanked separately for their efforts on all those cold nights. The figures for toads, frogs and a few newts this year were increased from 2022 which is a good sign at this time when our wildlife needs all the help it can get. Those who saw David Attenborough’s recent Wild Islands broadcast on Wet Lands will have noted that he gave an honourable mention to Toad Watchers nationwide.
Along with other groups in the town we were honoured on Monday 20th March to be invited to Riverside by the Wey to meet HRH Prince Edward, the newly appointed Duke of Edinburgh. There was an account of this event is event in the Farnham Herald last weekend but in addition to that article this photograph appeared in the Electronic Daily Mail the same day. It captures well the easy way in which HRH showed a keen interest in what we and other volunteers in the Town are doing for the environment. Our small group was located alongside the Farnham Biodiversity Group stand and included some committee members as well as new members. The Duke ended his short visit by planting a tree by the river,
unveiling a memorial plaque and saying a few well chosen words. We were delighted to be part of this.
The following week we took part on the Saturday morning in a small Farnham in Bloom Fair on Gostrey Meadow. It was a blustery day and we had to hold onto our display panel but it was good to be part of this opening of the In Bloom season and we also got a free cup of coffee.
We are beginning to think seriously now about the In Bloom competition as we shall be competing in our own right this year in the case of the MBL site. One of our next tasks there is to get the annual wildflower seeds down.
We intend to be present at The Bourne Show as usual this year on Saturday 1st July. We shall again run a Second Hand Book Stall. Please save up all your unwanted books for us and we will collect in due course. They need to be in good condition and preferably works of fiction because they sell well.
Our next Sunday Work Session will be on Sunday 30th April. A good chance for our Duke of Edinburgh candidates to get in some more hours.
