AUTUMN NEWS 

It's that time of year again when the Pumpkins and Squash are maturing nicely ready for our celebrations at the end of October.  This year they will culminate on Sunday 27th of October with our Carving Competitions, Spooky Trails and Games, Autumnal Delicacies, Tombola and a Light Show. If you want to have a go at Pumpkin Carving, please let us know, as we will be having several carving workshops leading up to the event.

We will also be holding a Harvest Supper for Volunteers and Workers on Tuesday 8th October at the site.  So if you have volunteered in the past, but are unable to at the moment, please come and join us and bring food to share.

Make A Difference Awards

We were entered into the BBC's Make a Difference Awards this year.  Someone visited the site and interviewed Tracey and photographed us working. The video was shown to the judges and we were shortlisted for the Green Award.  Mary, Bryn and myself attended the presentation at Nottingham College and were well fed and watered by the college catering students.  There were four groups in our category, The Beeston Bike Shop, The Hucknall Wildlife Group and Kathryn Cooper from Sneinton who runs a group called Mini Growers which is aimed at helping pre-school children connect with nature.  Kathryn won the award, I'm sure because the children were so endearing! We do run sessions at Windmill for this age group with Small Steps Big Changes and they are proving very popular.  We were Highly Commended.

Bryn, Mary and Rosie at the awards with the BBC Regional News Deputy Editor.

Bio Blitz and Butterflies

Friday 2^nd August, we had a Bioblitz at Windmill Community Gardens. Families and volunteers at the gardens took part in both a bioblitz activity, and the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme 'Big Butterfly Count'

Dr Linda Birkin was on hand to lead the activity, help with identification, and discuss what was found. All observations were recorded and uploaded to the ongoing Windmill Wildlife (1) project, using the iNaturalist app.

Everything was identified as best as possible on the day, from group of wildlife (e.g. 'bumblebee') down to specific species (e.g. 'Garden spider').

What did we find?

124 Species

We recorded 238 observations, covering 86 different species / groups. This included 16 species of butterflies / moths, 5 species of beetle and 8 species of hoverflies.  This brings the current (August 2024) total number of species recorded at Windmill Gardens up to 124!  This is dominated by insects and plants, so there's still plenty out there to find.  Please add your casual records to the projects as well as ones with photos/evidence: www.inaturalist.org/projects/windmill-wildlife

Unfortunately I can't copy all the documents that Linda sent us as they are in a difficult format, but if you are interested, please get in touch and I'm sure we can send you a copy: wcgnottingham@gmail.com

Below is a list of the bug species found:

Species list from Windmill Community Garden Bioblitz August 2024                                             22 spot ladybird Common wasp Loosestrifes Slug 7-Spot Ladybird Dandelions Lygus Bugs Small white butterfly Apple tree Eurasian Smoothwing Marbled white Soapwort Apricot tree Evening promrose Marmalade Hover Fly Spear thistle Asparagus Beetle Garden Snail Masked Bees Speckled Wood Batman Hoverfly Garden spider Meadow brown Spider Bindweed Gatekeeper Meadow Crane's-BilI Stitch wort Bird's-foot Trefoils Globe thistle Melanostoma Syrphid hoverfly Black ant Globetails Mint Moth Th istle Blackberry Grasshopper Nasturtium Violets Brown lipped snail Green veined white Peacock Wheat Bumblebee Green bottle Plantain White Bryony Bumblebee (carder) Harlequin ladybird Plum Wild Carrot Bumblebee (red tailed) Holly blue Pussy Willow Woodlouse Bumblebee (white tailed) Hollyhock Ragwort Worm Cabbage Bug Honeybee Raspberry Yarrow Calendula Housefly Red Admiral Yellow Meadow Ant Cinnabar Moth Hypericum Red ants   Coltsfoot Large red slug Red Soldier Beetle Comma Large white butterfly Ringlet   Common Blue butterfly Lavender Robin   Common Globetail Leafcutter bee Sawflies   Common Mugwort Lesser Hornet Hoverfly Silver Y

Rosie  Jarrett 19.09.2024

WORLD GARDEN WORDS

This Thursday, June 20th at 12 noon 

With Lunch and a look at all the different language words that people have come up with for gardening activities, tools and fruit and veg.

Refugee Week started on Saturday. We're proud to be a Garden of Sanctuary, so we're marking the week with a lunch on Thursday 20th June starting at 12noon. This is to celebrate the end of our "World Garden Words" project, a collection of words from as many languages as possible, covering the basic tools, jobs and crops of our community gardens. We aim to make this available to anyone it could be useful for. We have about 35 languages currently, but if anyone would like to help us add to that number, please use this link: https://forms.gle/Z4KBkmP5KHEN5Q366As always, refugees are welcome to come to our gardens, and we're happy to support with plants, seeds and crops if anyone wants to grow where they live - we can help if you have access to a garden or just a windowsill.

As always, refugees are welcome to come to our gardens, and we're happy to support with plants, seeds and crops if anyone wants to grow where they live - we can help if you have access to a garden or just a windowsill.

LITHE LUNCHES

Thursday June 27th, July 11th & 25th, then fortnightly until October.

11am for yoga, gardening or food preparation, shared lunch @ 12 noon.

FEEL GOOD GARDEN PARTY

Join us on Saturday 20th July from 12 noon to 4pm

Come and discover lots of ways to feel good as you wander round our gardens.
Foraging, forest bathing, yoga, live music, garden café, arts & crafts, massages, herbal walk, circus skills
Our green urban space brings together people of all abilities, local & diverse communities
This event will help us raise money for our charity, all donations welcome

 WHATS ON AT WINDMILL ?

The following dates are what we have planned for 2024

Please email: WCGnottingham@gmail.com for more details.

     

April 18th - Thursday - launch of World Garden Words

We will be welcoming local people from many ethnic backgrounds and sharing food and garden language

May 1st - Visit to AMC Gardens 5-6pm for volunteers

Saturday May 4th lunchtime AGM.  12 to 2pm.  Please bring a picnic.  Open to all, especially if you want to join our management committee.

May 15th - Plant and Seed Swap and general nice things from 5.30 to 7.30pm.

June 1st & 2nd - Green Hustle Weekend - Stall in Old Market Square

June 15th - Refugee Week - Stall at Sneinton Market

June 20th - Garden Words launch lunch

July 20th - Saturday - Feel Good Garden Party - Come and join us for relaxing and fun activities and food.

Outdoor Fun Sessions 

With Small Steps Big Changes for the under 4's

29 March

5 April

12 April

2 August 

9 August

16 August

23 August

30 August

25 Oct

1 Nov

23 Dec (This date might change)

As well as these activities, we have our regular gardening sessions from 10 to 1pm every Monday and 10 to 1pm and 1 to 4pm every Thursday, except for Bank Holidays.  We will be cooking food on some Thursdays over the summer along with exercise and craft sessions.  More details later.

Our space, or part of it is available to use at other times .

9.4.2024

THE REALLY WILD SPACE 

 

  Our wild garden is beginning to take shape.  As you can see from the photo, we now have a wide wood chip path allowing access to the whole area and far less brambles than there used to be.  This is thanks to several work parties and our regular volunteers.  Volunteers from local companies have been the Good Gym and VF, clothing manufacturers, along with Lucy the Nottingham Forager's groups, and they have achieved more than we could have hoped for on our own.  So thankyou to all of them and to all the people who donated to our crowd funding last year.  We raised £6,725 (minus commission), which will buy a new shelter and other necessary items and help with match funding from grant funders.  The shelter will be a simple structure to replace the old shed and greenhouse at the back of the photo.

The Good Gym

Work Team from VF

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1064596434795848

A video of the Queerly Wild group at work

Copy and Paste into your browser.

A donation to the Really Wild Space

As you can see from the photos, this is a wet space in the autumn and winter.  To aid drainage, someone has created two "wells", which are brick tanks.  One of them is filled in, but the other provided useful water in last years dry spell.  The plan is to repair the walls and fence them off to keep them safe.  We are hoping to have children's activities in the garden, so are aware of safety issues, as well as providing some "equipment" for them.  We have already been left a large pipe and are considering a tree swing and willow structure.  The plan is on going, so any other ideas are welcome.  The space will also be used for an adult quiet space and Lucy the Forager is creating an area that can be used for meditation etc.  She is also utilising two old coal bunkers to grow mushrooms in.

Lucy reusing an old coal bunker

Apart from the winter waterlogging, the main reason that we decided to create a wild garden, was the number of trees there.  There is a massive Ash tree on one side and there was also a large Eucalyptus by the opposite fence, which blew down in a freak hurricane in autumn 2022.  a blessing in disguise, as it was blocking a lot of light.  The allotment committee members very kindly chopped most of it for us and took it away, but left us with the stump and a piece that can be made into a seat.  Other trees, include a large Walnut, plum trees, a conference pear, an apple, two Contorted Willows, which unfortunately were knocked down by the falling Eucalyptus.  Also several Alders, which are a water loving species and some shrubs including red stemmed Dogwood.  We are planning on creating a small Willow Carr with more varieties than we have at present.  The stems will be used for willow weaving.

The fallen Willows and an Alder Tree

As well as existing trees and shrubs, there were a lot of flowers, native and garden, in the allotment when we took it over.  These include some impressive Elecampane which are much loved by our friendly herbalist, Katherine Bellchambers.  Snowdrops have just come into flower and we planted bluebells last year to add to the woodland ecosystem.  We are focusing on native plants which will be used by Lucy the Forager and Katherine the herbalist, but because it is an old allotment, there will be non native species too.

Now the flood waters have subsided, we are all keen to complete the basic work on the garden and are coming up with interesting ideas to make it enjoyable for everyone.  Please come and join in as a volunteer, or, if you are unable to do that, come and visit, or maybe consider using the space in the future.  Finally, many thanks to Tracey Lloyd, Mary Parkes, Lucy the Forager and the Windmill Gardens allotment committee, who have helped get this project off the ground.

Rosie Jarrett 2.2.2024.

Information on Foraging: https://www.facebook.com/Thenottinghamforager

Information on Herbal matters: https://www.nottingham-herbalist.co.uk/

  

The Real Wild Space

The Real Wild Space - https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/p/therealwildspace

Dear all,

I hope you are well.

I wanted to let you know we have started a crowdfunding Project for which we are aiming to raise £6,000. We would love it if you could donate using the link below to access our Project page. Donate what you can, any contribution large or small will be hugely appreciated. Thank you.

The Real Wild Space:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/therealwildspace

Windmill Community Gardens

The Real Wild Space