It was very pleasing this past week to see that we are at last beginning to recover from the knock that our Active Community Engagement (ACE) Programme took post-Covid.
Sunday, we had a good turn out for our September Community Sunday.
We had a mix of plotters, friends and volunteers on the day. Apologies to those who missed out on the photo opportunities.
Monday, Stuart the Builder laid down the concrete base for the machinery store. Ron has been beavering away for weeks now pre-assembling the structural components, so we ought to have it built before long. If this is something you could help with, please contact Ron.
Tuesday, saw the volunteer squad back in numbers and it was super to have Anne back with us after her recent bad back. Good too, to have Gordon B and Fate back on site and busy woodworking. Gordon is, of course, an old hand, but it is great to have his skills and good humour back with us.
Tuesday, we also welcomed Paul and Laura from Aberdeen City Council on site to join our monthly Committee Meeting. They brought good news in the offer of some very useful second-hand sleepers and a promise to look at solutions for the problem we have with cars bottoming out when using the paths to get to the top of the site. Details to follow we hope.
We arrived on Wednesday to find that Keith and his grass-cutting Pixies had been at work and the Orchard Area was looking great again. We owe a huge thanks to Keith for his efforts keeping our machinery running and much more. His grass cutting on the Tuesday finished more or less in the dark!
Wednesday we took delivery of a set of pallets thanks to a tip-off from Rebecca at C-Fine. The pallets will be re-cycled and provide timbers for up-cycled garden furniture built by our volunteers over the winter months ahead.
Thursday was a very spacial day. RGU students from Gray’s School of Art had been with us all week, but Thursday brought us an especially big group. It is always interesting to see our site through artists’ eyes.
We also welcomed Milly Brace and her Aberdeen horticulture students on site for their first visit. The students enjoyed a site tour led by Anne, followed by a Q and A before donning their boiler suits and boots to help out with the afternoon’s volunteering activities. They helped spruce up the Nursery Plot, Primary Plot and filled potholes before leaving around 15.00 hours. We hope their visit will be the first of many.
Thursday ended with a TAMS collection and it was super to see the amount and variety of surplus provided by our plotters and volunteers over the week.
Friday, brought the news that our missing strimmer and battery had been located and handed in: a great result and further evidence of how public-spirited our plotters are.
Thanks go to everyone involved in making this a special week. However, special mention must go to Anne for setting up the visit of the horticultural students and to Ron, Jordi, Christine and Veronica who stepped in to help on the day when it became clear spinning plates were about to hit the floor if they did not. Thanks!
