Newquay Community Orchard Newsletter / May 2015 / Issue 7 NEWSLETTER MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU! It is…well, with us at the Orchard anyway! We have had a great month and it looks like May will be just as good…or even better! Our volunteers finished the pallet fence and planted all the strawberries so hopefully we are in for a treat in summer when it’s harvest time…strawberry tart, strawberry smoothies or just plain straight from the plant maybe with some ice cream..?! Yummy…! They have also created a 4 bed rotation, having dug out four planting beds near the compost area. The principle of crop rotation is to grow specific groups of vegetables on a different part of the vegetable plot each year. This helps to reduce a build-up of crop-specific pest and disease problems and it organises groups of crops according to their cultivation needs. So far we have sown and planted lettuce, pak choi and root vegetables. In the greenhouse we have started cucumbers, tomatoes, sunflowers and pumpkin. Volunteer and tree sponsor Jackie has kindly given us a second greenhouse which we are now putting up…thank you so much! The brigade from Newquay Community Fire Station has been on site to visit and lend a hand… they have filled our 1000L water butts and are happy to help out regularly on Wednesdays. Fabulous news as we have quite a bit of physical work ahead of us like continuing with the ampitheatre and starting on the tyre wall around the community growing space… for some reason quite a lot of female volunteers are booked in for these days. On Earth Day the Green Party visited us to plant some herbaceous perennials , we have created a wildflower bed with some beautiful wooden discs, build shelves with coat hangers for the volunteer shed, spent a lot of time watering our trees due to the lovely weather and after a lot hot hard work we treated ourselves to a spontaneous bbq organised by some of our volunteers. For this month we are putting in a small pond but for you who are already getting their fishing gear ready… unfortunately there will be no fish in our pond. We are trying to attract newts - fish will just deplete the food source and natives won’t be attracted to the pond if there are fish in it. Also, we don’t have capacity to put a pump in to oxygenate the water or means of protecting them completely from cats. We will end up harming them rather than caring for them unfortunately so for your dinner we am afraid you will have to stick to the harbour or your local fishmonger. We will start with the under planting of the forest glade beds (the bottom four layers), sow more vegetables in our 4-bed rotation, continue with the ampitheatre and start on the wall around the community growing space with the help of our local fire brigade and Glendale Services, sow more wildflowers and maintain the site. JOIN OUR FUNDRAISING & EVENTS TEAM. We are now structuring the work for our volunteers a bit more so everyone can choose what area they would like to be involved with. Whether you would like to work within your comfort zone or challenge yourselfwe want to bring out the best in you! There will be different volunteer teams ( you can join as man teams as you like!) for site maintenance, educational workshops, mental health, fundraising & events, administration...to name a few. We would like to invite you to join our FUNDRAISING & EVENTS TEAM. We already have a few events lined up but are looking to organise more - especially during summer, both on and off site. Roles will include market research, promotion, event co-ordination, fundraising, budgeting, etc. , to help ensure the smooth and efficient running of our events. You don’t just get to use and improve existing skills but also gain new ones have the opportunity to gain an SEQ (Social Enterprise Qualification) for free! If you are keen to be part of our Fundraising and Events Team please email us to info@newquayorchard. co.uk by Friday May 8th 2015. We look forward to hearing from you! I CONCEIVE THAT THE LAND BELONGS TO A VAST FAMILY OF WHICH MANY ARE DEAD, FEW ARE LIVING, AND COUNTLESS NUMBERS ARE STILL UNBORN. - NIGERIAN CHIEF www.newquayorchard.co.uk VOLUNTEER Q&A This is Laura, our sunshine volunteer. Laura definitely prefers the sunny days on site as she is used to nice weather from her home country, Spain, where she worked as an Environmental Technician before coming to Cornwall to improve her English. She is also a very talented hobby photographer and her shots from our volunteer BBQ and our Easter egg hunt clearly show her skills. Between making the most delicious Spanish tortilla and teaching our young volunteers the Spanish words for “wheelbarrow” and “watering can” she found time to answer some questions for us… read the local paper and there it was…Newquay Community Orchard on the front page! At the same time, my housemates and Volunteer Cornwall mentioned the project…. the Orchard was everywhere! patience with my English, and I feel happy every time I go. I feel very lucky for being able to be part of this team. 2) Why did you get involved? It has to be apple pie. Also, few weeks ago I tasted a pasty with apples...delicious! Because I love the outdoors and nature, and everything related to environment. I think we all like to rediscover the pleasure of eating homegrown fruits and vegetables. I worked on a small orchard in Madrid with people with disabilities, it was a great experience and I wanted to continue similar work. 1) When did you get involved with Newquay Orchard and how 3) What is the best thing about did you hear about this project? the orchard? I got involved in February this year, when I came to Newquay from Spain to learn English. I was looking for an environmental project to be involved with. I WELCOME TO THE TEAM! AMELIA BERKELEY Creative Design Manager Janka interviews Amelia, our Creative Design Manager This is Amelia- not just one of my best and longest friends but also mum to little Felix and wife to Luke. Needless to ask how she got involved with the project but as most of her work is behind the scenes I am bursting to know what exactly does she do for the Orchard… J: Hi Amelia… you must be superwoman! Working your paid job, running around after a little toddler, putting up with Luke AND volunteering for the Orchard..! Most of your work is done behind the scenes and we all just see the beautiful end product…could I have to say it’s definitely the people. From my first day at the Orchard they have been so nice and helpful! Everything is easy with them, they have a lot of you tell us a bit more about what exactly you do? A: Haha, yes it is full on but I really enjoy it all! For the Orchard I do the logo and all the branding. I do all the graphic design stuff so all the ads and flyers, newsletter & social media graphics…basically I make things look pretty. J: You do! We have had lots of compliments on our logo, newsletter and flyers so you are obviously doing a great job… what’s your background as it all looks very professional? A: Thanks, I have a degree in Graphic Design and have been working freelance for the past seven years. But for the last year I have been doing this full time which enables me to be at home with Felix as well as work. J: So you are volunteering for the Orchard by doing something you normally get paid for! A: Yes but I love being involved with the project and giving back to the community who welcomed me with open arms when I first arrived in 2006. J: Wow, that’s how long we have been friends…time flies! So what do you get up in your (probably rather spare) free time? A: I like keeping fit with yoga and zumba, walking along the coast and beaches as I love the sea… I am planning to dip my toes back into the surfing world this summer. J: Fabulous, thanks for your time and I shall see you in the water hanging 5 then… To check out some of Amelia’s work visit her website: www.ameliaberkeley.co.uk BE GREEN, BE ENERGY, FEEL SPRING, JUMP, TRY, GROW, INSPIRE, CREATE, BLOOM, SUN, BELIEVE.... 4) What is your favourite food/ drink that contains apples? 5) How do you imagine the Newquay Community Orchard in 10 years? I imagine that it will not only be a wonderful and colourful orchard, but also an important place for Newquay. This orchard has plenty of people with lots of great ideas about education, health, sustainability, etc...I do believe that with so many talented people and a strong support from the council and local authorities everything is possible!! VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH: JOYCE BIRCH This is Joyce, our volunteer of the month. Joyce has been with us since we first went on site. Whether it was clearing the site, washing the greenhouse glass or helping put up the volunteer shedJoyce is not afraid to get her hands dirty. When we ran out of nails while putting up the volunteer shed she ran home and rummaged through her garage to bring some on site! During tree planting session Joyce brought her whole family to the Orchard who all sponsored and named trees and when the vegetable beds were being planted she donated some lettuce she had propagated at home to plant. We can always count on Joyce and would like to say Thank You for being part of our fantastic team of volunteers! www.newquayorchard.co.uk HEDGEHOG QUIZ It is Hedgehog Awareness Week this month (3rd-9th May) so let’s check your hedgehog knowledge 1) What substance are hedgehogs spines made from? a) Keratin, b) Bone or c) Ivory 2) What kind of insect lives on a hedgehog? ASK NEILL ANYTHING 3) What is it called when a hedgehog sheds its baby Orchard supporter Ann from Scotland asks: a) Tick, b) Flea or c) Termite spines for adult spines? a) Quilling, b) Spineing or c) Prickling 4) What are hedgehogs favourite foods? a) Centipedes & millipedes, b) Slugs & worms or c) Beetles & bugs 5) What is a male hedgehog called? a) Boar, b) Bull or c) Buck 6) What scientific ‘Order’ do Hedgehogs belong to? a) Erinaceomorpha, b) Carnivora or c) Rodentia 7) What is a hedgehogs living behaviour? a) Crepuscular, b) Nocturnal or c) Diurnal 8) If threatened, what do hedgehogs do as self defence against predators? a) put up its front paws, b) dig a hole to hide in, or c) roll up into a ball 9) Hedgehogs are born without the initial capability to do this: a)smell, b) see or c) hear 10) How do hedgehogs hibernate? a) in groups, b) in pairs or c) alone My Camelia’s leaves are starting to turn yellow around the edges. I have given it some food (fish, blood and bone fertilizer) but it is still not looking right and it hasn’t really grown since last year. I was wondering if I should dig it up and plant it in a pot with all ericaceous compost plus some food. My soil is mostly clay based, although I did prepare the soil before planting it in the ground. Neill says: It sounds like magnesium deficiency. Best give it some Epsom salt and leave it where it is for the time being and keep an eye on her. The salt may take a while to take effect, give it another couple of weeks and then maybe try it in a pot. SLOW-WORM (ANGUIS FRAGILIS) Often mistaken for snakes, they are actually legless lizards and distinguished by their eyelids and ear openings. Adults are smooth and shiny with a grey or bluish belly. The female is brown with copper or red markings on her back ad black or brown sides. Some have a dark stripe along the middle of the back. The male is greyish, brown or copper-brown, typically without striped but occasionally with blue spots. Juveniles are silver/ gold with black or brown sides. Most active at dusk, slow-worms eat slow moving prey such as slugs, worms and snails, as well as the odd insect or spider. Adults emerge from hibernation in March and mating takes place between Mid-May and late June. Habitats for slow-worms are gardens, parks and rural areas where small invertebrates are found. Slow-worms shelter under stones, logs or corrugated iron sheets in sun, rather than basking, and are fond of compost heaps. Slow-worms can be locally abundant and likely to be the most commonly seen reptilein Britain, but are at risk of habitat destruction. They are protected by law, making it illegal o deliberately kill, injure or sell them. ADOPT A TREE We have now planted all of our trees for this season, there will be no more planting until winter 2015. However, as we had such an overwhelming success with our tree sponsor programme, we are now offering a “Tree Adopting Scheme”. You can adopt a tree (Woodland or Cornish Heritage) which is already planted and name it. You will receive a certificate (if you come on site to name your tree we would love for you to sign our visitor’s book) and you will be able to find your tree on a map online (this is currently in development stage) so in years to come you can always find your tree when you visit us on site. If you are interested in adopting a tree at the Orchard please email us to [email protected] DO YOU FANCY BEING INVOLVED? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or visit our website and sign up for the newsletter to keep up to date with our news. twitter.co.uk/newquayorchard facebook.co.uk/newquayorchard www. newquayorchard.co.uk | [email protected] Join in and be a part of our community. Quiz Answers: 1. Keratin, 2. Flea, 3. Quilling, 4. Slugs and Worms, 5. Boar, 6. Erinaceomorpha, 7. Nocturnal, 8. Roll up into a ball, 9. See, 10. Alone WHEN ONE TUGS AT A SINGLE THING IN NATURE, HE FINDS IT ATTACHED TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. - JOHN MUIR GOT ANY IDEAS OR SUGGESTIONS FOR THE SITE? Events (music, theatre, comedy etc..), do you have any questions? you’d like, plants we could include? Or Get in touch: [email protected] | Facebook | Twitter www.newquayorchard.co.uk
© Copyright 2024