We had a great day at the site today with our Volunteer Squad in fine form. Doug (himself a volunteer) led an effort to rebuild a plot fence, while Steve (Plot 72) with volunteers Mike, Jack and Jordi were building a path to give access to our new wildlife patch up on the Mound at the Northwest corner. Meanwhile I had the pleasure of watching Gordon Bennett showing off his woodworking skills building a raised wheelchair-friendly veggie bed.
Gordon shows off his skills
The final group of Irene, Veronica and Karolina worked in the Community Garden trimming, weeding and planting up. Irene puts in a power of work each time she comes on site and has led many of our successful new developments.
Irene shows the weeds no mercy
We are very lucky to have the help of so many dedicated volunteers, but in some ways we are victims of our own success. We often have ten or a dozen helpers on site at a time and we really need more plotters involved in leading the small work parties.
If you could host a group of two or three volunteers working on your plot, or lead them in a community activity on the wider site on a Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday from time to time it would be a great help.
If you think you would be able to help please speak to me, Anne, Steve or Stuart in the first instance.
Thursday 18 March is Bonfire Day. We will start about 10.00. Many hands will make for lighter work. We have a mountain of material to feed to the flames. As always, safety comes first. If you can manage along, please remember your gloves and the importance of having your own safety and that of others as the first priority. We will operate as a series of smaller groups throughout the day to manage numbers and keep everyone safe.
Obviously, our Volunteer Squad is stood down right now, awaiting a relaxation in the COVID Regulations that will make it possible for the volunteers to come on site as a group. We are going to review this situation at the end of this month.
Social distancing done the Garthdee Way
We ended last year with a team of 12 active volunteers. I am delighted to say that the team has remained in touch throughout the Lockdown. We had a Zoom Catchup this week and those present confirmed they are all keen to return when circumstances allow. How good it that!
We also discussed how members of the Squad might contribute in the meantime as we wait from normal group activities to recommence. We decided that as the Momentum Group (and we are unsure about Club 10) will not now be returning we will make the raised beds available to volunteers to grow their own stuff for this season (if they so choose). This will make sure that the beds are put to good use and maintained throughout the year, and that the individual volunteers can come on site to work their beds – while staying compliant with the Covid and Council Regs. Meantime, 2 beds will be retained for possible use with Club 10.
The Raised Beds in use by Club 10
Additionally, it may well be that the Primary School kids will not be able to come visit with us in the current session. We have agreed therefore, that the Volunteer Squad will plant up and maintain the Primary Plot and the plastic and metal Primary/Community Greenhouses over the season ahead. The volunteers will be able to harvest for themselves, but we anticipate healthy surpluses will be grown and these we will donate to TAMS. This will boost the TAMS dividend paid into our GFAA funds at the end of the year.
The Kaimhill Kids get to know their onions
So, in the weeks ahead you are likely to see individual volunteers working on the raised beds and the Primary plot and greenhouses: if you do I hope you will stop by and give them a word of encouragement and thanks.
Thanks go to Steve (Plot 72) and volunteers Doug and Irene for agreeing to oversee and manage the volunteers’ Primary School plot and greenhouse activities for the season ahead.
Watch out for further info on the return of the Squad to full duties when circumstances allow. If you are a GFAA Member and have a pressing need for help please use the Requests for Help link on our homepage.
Irene’s persistent insubordination caused a wee bit of a fracas amongst the volunteers this week, but all was resolved by a traditional duel in the rain.
In the end nobody got shot, not even a deer (yet).
In between we even managed to get some work done.
The new bin will be used for grass cuttings in the coming season. Plotters are welcome to take them at add to their plot compost bins. They are great for generating heat in a new pile – when used sparingly.
All in all it has been a great week and our volunteers have again excelled themselves in their efforts on our behalf. Thanks go to all involved.
Meanwhile the Volunteer Squad have lost the services of Gordon and Mike, who are unable to attend while the most recent Lockdown is in place. However, we have been lucky enough to have Ali and Irene join us over the last number of weeks and we are very grateful to them for their enthusiasm and hard work.
We had a great day on Sunday, spurred on by wonderful weather.
Ali, Stewart and Jordi – quite a lineup!
We had the help of a big team on the day – Ali, Stewart, Jordi, Callum and Irene and got masses done despite the hot weather. Over the last week or so jobs undertaken by the Squad have included:
seek and destroy missions against Sticky Willies on plot edges
weeding the Nursery plot
tidy up and refreshing of the Primary plastic greenhouse
removing barbed wire from the Southern wall/boundary
reinstating the sight line for drivers exiting the main entrance
hoeing the Octagon Path
spraying the areas of hard-standing, ready for weed removal
regular de-heading of flowers in the raised beds and around Octagon
regular watering of the communal greenhouses
weeding and adding woodchip to plot edges
removal of the broken compost bin by the northern carpark
regular weeding of the raised beds and around fruit trees
preparing the round picnic table by the Polytunnel
repair and painting of compost bins
Primary School compost bin turning/management
weekly litter picks of the whole site
painting of the Bothy cladding and A-frame board
reorganisation and tidying of the Communal Containers
woodchip pile management
Micro-plot paths weeding
strimming of ‘wilder’ grassy areas
weeding and maintenance of South and North Banks
tidy of North Car Park waste metal and wood ready for removal when the Public Skips open for trailers
giving a helping hand to injured or incapacitated plotters
This is not an exclusive list by any means and plotters have contributed their time to regular grass cutting, strimming, raised bed planting up, tree bowl trimming, entrance barrier painting and the like. My apologies to those I have not mentioned.
But the truth is, there is more to be done than we can get done at the moment. We have all sorts of jobs to be done – from 10 minute jobs to 100 minute jobs. If you have any wee bit of time you could offer, don’t be shy, ask a member of the Committee how you can help. If you could help out with the Volunteer Squad on a Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday please let me (Norman) know.
One suggestion – ‘adopt’ the path edge that borders your own plot and keep it tidy, weed-free and in a shape that does not impede or scratch cars as they pass by.
The Volunteers Squad took on quite a challenge today sorting out the Primary Plot Compost Bins. Tough work, but the gang took it in their stride – as always. Not shown here, but fully involved, were Stewart (Plot 59) and Volunteer Irene.
