A long overdue update!

Really sorry that this has not been updated for so long … lots has been happening but its difficult to find the time to update!

So …

The Society Council met in March to consider the new building, and adopted a cautious approach – since funding is not yet completed, the decision was to start this year with preparatory work, which will included the laying of drainage to the Reserve for the very first time, and the installation of a proper, flushing toilet – the current proposal is that this will go to the north of the existing building (theres a very rough sketch here),  so, for the very first time, there will be proper loos at the Reserve. Good news is that a neighbours drainage is close by and subject to permissions, we may be able to connect into it. This will save a great deal of digging, and with it mess, inconvenience, and perhaps £20,000! We are finalising this at the moment.

The next phase will be to form a new tool store in the existing hut, which will need clearing first, and then to transfer the tools from the tool store into the new store. That will complete the programme for 2014, but put us in a great place to start work in 2015 on the main build. We have a Gantt Chart …. you can download from here

The two grant applications(£25K each) have been launched and on both we are through the first “expression of interest” phase; detailed applications have been submitted, weighty tomes, both about 50 pages. A third preliminary enquiry  (£50K) was turned down, alas. The organisation sent a fairly standard “lots of people apply” letter. Even so we are close to getting sufficient funding for the building.

Open Day went fantastically! There’s an album in Facebook – we took about £1500 in Donations for the new building, and had fun building a straw bale corner, complete with rubber tyre foundations — all a mock up, of course, but clay was puddled and applied to the bales. Created a great deal of interest.

The other news was that the Walpole Park Restoration Project was clearing its Hoarding; this was 50 or so sheets, 8ft by 4ft (OK, Sorry, 2440 mm x 1220 mm) 3/4 inches (19mm) thick. plus a load of 4×2 (100mm x 50mm) timber, and other good stuff “going on a skip” or free to collector. Many thanks to the volunteers who collected it on Wednesday! not only have we saved about £1000 in cost (and I would have hated to have to pay out for ply that was only going for ground cover and then be dumped) but also, of course we meet one of our Waste Heirarchy targets of Reduce Reuse and Recycle, by reusing these materials. We think we have sufficient good quality stuff to build the toilet that we mention above.

this is the ply that we collected; good enough for ground cover, and some will be good enough for the new toilet

this blue netting may be useful, and if not then beekeepers love it to go round their hives on allotments etc., so they can have it

Not envirionmentally sound but better we get it (free) and use it than it just go on a skip – some still in its wrapping! – unused; so wasteful.

this is the ply that we collected; good enough for ground cover, and some will be good enough for the new toilet

There are some outstanding jobs; a Soil Survey is long overdue, and needs to be worked on soon; the “site” for the toilet is very close to the ditch, so the foundations will need to be a bit on the heavy side for such a small light building. If anyone is (or knows a surveyor or engineer ) who can suggest a solution that does not involve lots of concrete, do please put them in touch!!