The summer is here, hurray!! Our regular helpers Valerie, Richard and I are back working on the Community Garden. 

Sadly, over the winter we saw more vandalism than in all of the past four years put together. Bird feeders were broken, the veranda of the shed was damaged, the shed had two attempted breaks-ins and pots were smashed. 

Although it is unlikely that the perpetrators will be reading this article, I would ask all of you who do read it and who value the Community Garden to be vigilant. We believe most of the damage is caused by the younger generation, who may not follow these articles or be aware that the garden is created by volunteers for their benefit as well as our own. People of all ages are welcome there, but we do ask that they use the garden responsibly and do not cause damage. 

This year we are adding to the newly created bog garden and looking to plant more scented plants to appeal to the bee and butterfly population.

We would love to see more volunteers come and join us on Fridays between 10am and noon to help maintain the garden or start a new project. Gardening is great for your health and mental wellbeing, so it’s something we could all benefit from in these strange times.

Spencer Oliver