Community Spruce – hedge planting and wildflowers

Thank you for the members who helped out at our first community spruce event – hedge planting and seed bombing the wildlife garden.  Members made seed bombs that will help improve the diversity of wildflowers in the wildlife garden providing more forage for bees and insects and enhancing the biodiversity of the area.

The trees members planted will, in a few short years, provide a habitat and food for wildlife as well as foraging for plot holders.   The new hedge is made of 50% buckthorn (sloe berries) as well as wild native fruit trees including crab apple, plum, cherry, pear and juneberry.  It also includes various native roses such as dog rose, sweet briar rose and Rosa rugosa.

We would also like to say a huge thank you to the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts from the 19th Bromley Scout Group who came along to help.   They had a tour of the allotments, learnt about what we grow on site and planted the first trees in the new hedge.  They also had fun throwing the seed bombs they’d brought with them into the wildlife garden.

Finally, thank you to the committee members who made lunch for the young people.

Our next Community Spruce event is Seedy Sunday on 24th March between 1-3pm.  There will be a community seed swap, seed sowing demonstrations and advice as well as activity for children.

Secret Garden Launch and Bonfire Night

On Saturday allotment members and friends from the community joined us for a double celebration – the launch of our Secret Garden and Bonfire Night.

Secret Garden launch

After a year of building and planting our Secret Garden was officially launched with a tea party.  Tea and cake was available and there were craft activities for the children.

We had visitors from Groundwork, the charity that has been working with Tesco on the Bags of Help scheme that funded the Secret Garden.

 

Bonfire Night

As darkness fell, the Secret Garden party gave way to our Bonfire Night extravaganza!  As well as the usual fireworks, bonfire and supper the Woodcraft Folk were there to help members toast marshmallows, make damper bread and roast cinnamon apples over the fire.  And of course, the Secret Garden looked fabulous with it’s new lights.

  

Well done to everybody involved for all the hard work to create two events for Members, family and friends.  More photographs are available on our Facebook page.

Visit our Annual Open Day – Sunday 14 May 2017

Annual Open Day features and stalls

Yes, it’s that time of year again – the Dorset Road Allotment’s Annual Open Day.  Regular visitors will be pleased to know that as usual we will have our wonderful homemade cakes available (with a cup of tea), there will be a barbeque and plenty of plants for sale as well as other food and craft stalls.  There will be bee demonstrations and dog agility displays.

Children will be able to play on the bouncy castle and there will be a range of other stalls and activities to keep them entertained including the free Treasure Hunt.

New for 2017

We are also pleased to welcome for the first time the Churchfield Primary School Choir and the 19th Bromley Scouts who will be challenging people to ‘beat the goalie’.  And you will be able to see our new Secret Garden.

We hope to see you – whether you are a regular or this will be your first visit.

When

Sunday 14 May from 11am to 3pm

Where

Dorset Road Allotments, Dorset Road, Bromley, BR3 4EA