Fab day at Folly

In July 2010 a group of young people volunteered their time to help out on the kitchen garden at Folly Farm. The group was from St George's House which provides sheltered accommodation and support to young people. Many of the individuals had never volunteered before and so for them was a new experience. Here are some of their comments from the day:

“Really enjoyed myself...I did things today that I have never done before and I met other people who were visiting Folly Farm, who were disabled and I want to work with them too. I have only been at SGH for few days and I have made friends already.”

“I really Enjoy it, I felt that I had done something useful and felt that I got stuck into the work with the others”

“I enjoyed the carpentry side of the day but I wasn’t keen on the gardening as this wasn’t really my thing, so I am not sure if I would do this again”

“I enjoyed working in a team to get a flower bed built. It has boosted my knowledge on how they are made and the craftsmanship that goes into this kind of work. I also work very hard in dipping and leveling out the ground for the flower bed.”

Many of the participants enjoyed the experience that they look forward to volunteering with AWT in the near future.

Property Market Booming for House Sparrows

On the 28th January 2010 the Community Team Volunteers helped me to design different prototypes for constructing House Sparrow terraces. Everyone worked hard and came up with some great ideas. We all enjoyed day and we're proud of our final designs. If you have a great idea and design for sparrow terraces do get in contact. We will launching our House Sparrow Project next month so watch this space...

Check out www.wildsparrows.org.uk to find out more about sparrows, and how to observe and protect them.

A Great Start to the New Year

On Wednesday 27th January 2010 an ESOL class from Ashley College spent the afternoon coppicing hazel at Brandon Hill. It was a lovely crisp day and everyone took the task on with great enthusiasm. The dynamics of the group were amazing, they worked as a team and accomplished much more than I had anticipated. Thank you so much for your help. Do let me know if you enjoyed the afternoon and if you would be interested in taking part in more activities in the future. Kelly Bray, Commmunity Action Officer

Young Bristol at Dame Emily Park

A group from Young Bristol added over fifty whips to Dame Emily Park in Bedminster on 9th December 2009. This expanded upon the planting which the trust did as part of the national Tree O’clock event on Saturday 5th December 2009. The beautiful clear winter day set the scene for some light physical activity. Young hawthorn, blackthorn, buckthorn, holly and hazel was planted to enhance a fence line and provide new wildlife habitat in years to come. Contact Kelly Bray if you need any help with community wildlife gardening in your area: kellybray@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk