Updates on the Orchard project and other green spaces: December 2015

WELCOME TO “OUR GREEN SPACES” & PUBLIC PLACES

OUR ABBEY ENVIRONMENT: GREEN SPACES AND PUBLIC PLACES We have some exciting news on the Abbey Environmental front to share with you these days. Whatever the Season, we have been having outdoors fun, work and play in our Green Spaces and Public Places. These include events, projects, and activities like: The Winter Festival, Our Ditton Fields Project, Bulbs Bulbs Bulbs, The Abbey Orchard, The Big Lunch, and more! All described below with images and text.

EVENTS, FESTIVALS & PROCESSIONS

This year Nicky Shepard, one of our Community Workers, has organised some exciting Outdoor Events like this year’s October Pumpkin Fest and the December Winter Festival Lantern Procession. You can see this and much more in our Events Blog.

COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS DAY:
Recently, Jesús Zurdo, another Abbey Resident and parent, has been in the planning stages of a Community Environmental Awareness Day, involving the Abbey Meadows School, ChYpPS and other local organisations, activities will include the clear-up of one of our local green areas, environmental games and other activities for children and adults to enjoy.

"WE ARE DITTON FIELDS" PROJECT BEGAN MAY 2015

'WE ARE DITTON FIELDS': Hilary@AbbeyPeople.org.uk

Hilary Cox Condron has been working in Ditton Fields since May 2015, bringing together residents to discuss local issues, needs and aspirations and find ways the community can bring about positive, long lasting, change. As an Artist, Hilary works with adults, teens, and children in multidimensional ways to help them to find their voices creatively through making all the posters, banners, floats, stalls, and structures for various fun events that involve celebration, fanfare, with food by Alex and her team from FoodCycle. Practical neighbourhood tidy-up days are made fun in all sorts of ways including Stuart’s famous Masterchef BBQ’s; who also organised the Community Action Day at Ditton Fields and other Abbey sites, involving City Homes and the Barnwell Baptist Church.

"BULBS BULBS BULBS" BEGAN IN JANUARY 2015

BULBS BULBS BULBS IN THE ABBEY !!!

With the Gift of thousands of bulbs from Scottsdales (Horningsea) in January 2015, we were able to plant bulbs bulbs bulbs in a about 7-8 different public green places this year in the Abbey; lighting up faces and spaces this past Spring! These included: The Barnwell Community Centre, the Barnwell shops near the Spar, Abbey Orchard, The Leper Chapel path, Ditton Fields path, and the Barnwell Baptist Church. Lorna meets with local residents and groups to plant bulbs in their areas like she did with Abbey People folks & volunteers, as well as Make-do-and-Mend at the Leper Chapel and Newmarket Road between Jan-March 2015. Plans are afoot, to do more planting in early 2016, involving Neighbourhood Champions and others. In fact, recently Lorna & Hilary and Ditton Fields Residents planted 800 bulbs out on the Rec, ready now for Springtime 2016. Do get in touch with Lorna via the contact page on our website if you would like to do some bulb planting in your Abbey neighbourhood.