Progress Bulletin, Number 3, February 2020
Understandably things have been a little quiet around the Weston Favell Village cemetery in the past few months. The Friends’ group are hopefully now rested after the exertions of autumn and can look forward with relish to the new growing season. After an unseasonably mild December and January, visitors to the cemetery are being greeted by evidence of new growth from last year’s planting, notably in the borders at the Church Way cemetery gate and along Graspin Lane.
This has been further supplemented by some “guerrilla planting”. We are really grateful for this unsolicited support, especially as it was accompanied by an email providing the details of the plants for our records as we try to maintain a balanced planting regime to encourage insects and pollinators. The name of the miscreant has been withheld. Needless to say it was a woman who was responsible as we men are hopeless at identifying the content of our own gardens! An extract of the email follows and once again demonstrates the continued kindness shown by the village community towards the project
“I have been popping in more snowdrops and today 4 little clumps of winter aconite along the outside edge of the fencing either side of these gates.
I have also planted more autumn flowering cyclamen on the insides of the same fences. There are already lots of bulbs coming up all along these edges, both snowdrops and daffodils I think which were already there. I have some bulbs of autumn flowering nerines going spare if you want them.
All these mentioned look after themselves and spread easily over the years.
I also popped a few pansies in the same area that I had left over from the planters last Autumn. I know you are trying to keep a record of what goes where so thought I’d let you know what I’ve done!”
As we emerge from the ravages of Storm Ciara we can begin to look forward to Spring 2020. In the coming week a small team of representatives from the Friends will meet the Community Engagement Officer from ID Verde, the Borough Council contractor, to discuss the year ahead and the planned mowing and maintenance of the cemetery with special consideration of our past, current and future planting. We appreciate the partnership approach to managing the space. ID Verde has consistently shown its backing of the enterprise through the provision of useful advice and practical input throughout 2019 and we look forward to making even more progress together again this year.
One item of concern recently expressed by cemetery users needing to be addressed is the impact of unmanaged yew bushes in some areas of the site. Whilst the remit of the Friends group was to focus on the improvement of biodiversity we clearly need advice on how this can be best managed where it has a detrimental effect on the environment.
Although the Friends of Weston Favell Village cemetery group has not been much on site in the last few months, there has been no shortage of new volunteers coming forward to offer to help its work in future. We are grateful for this continued interest as we operate on the principle that “many hands make light work”. Last year work details proved joyous, social occasions achieving a great deal through a wide range of skills, capabilities and no little laughter, all under the strict scrutiny of gang master Anne Jones and her infamous clipboard. We may and try and hide her clipboard in 2020!
More news on the cemetery will follow in the coming weeks. In the meantime we would like to use this latest Bulletin to introduce another enterprise designed to enhance the village’s green spaces
Community Tree Planting – Saving the planet one tree at a time.
Never a village to stand still, a few residents in Weston Favell have recently come together to create a new initiative in respect of leading a local response to climate change.
Following the thought provoking Climate Change Forum, held last November in the church hall, an as yet unnamed group is seeking to encourage and facilitate the planting of young indigenous trees in private gardens and public places in the village. This may be seen as complementary to the Friends’ activities in that it is encouraging the positive effects of plants and biodiversity on our immediate environment.
Both the Northamptonshire County Council and Northampton Borough Council publicly declared a Climate Emergency in 2019 and were applauded for their early commitment to an effective programme of tree planting within the areas of their remit. Rather than wait for our representatives to act on our behalves some of your neighbours decided to begin a local movement to encourage tree planting and investing in the planet’s future closer to home.
Talks are taking place with the Woodland Trust on the condition for receiving free saplings for planting on land with public access. This may realistically have to be later this year.
More pressing, and with the growing season for bare root saplings effectively over by the end of March 2020, there is a real incentive to plant appropriate young trees in our gardens within the next month or so. Otherwise we face a delay until November.
With this in mind it is intended to launch a Weston Favell village community tree planting project on Saturday, 29th February 2020. The event will be held inside the gate to the cemetery on Church Way, from 10:30 am to 12:00 noon. Information on the sourcing and care of suitable indigenous trees and young sample specimens will be provided to stimulate all who come to find out what it is all about.
The aim is to encourage a community response to environmental and climate challenges in a practical way with the added benefit of growing something beautiful in your own space.
Young plants may be ordered, with the promise of free labour to assist planting on delivery!
For more information contact:
Martin Brown – martin.brown14@btinternet.com
Anne Jones – anne.michaeljones@tiscali.co.uk