Over December and January, Greening Wymondham have been busy on a number of fronts.

For the second year, Greening Wymondham wanted to gift to each Y6 child a tree root for them to plant. This involved a group of Greening Wymondham volunteers spending 2 hours in the freezing cold weather at the time ensuring the tree roots were suitably prepared for the children to take home. This had to be done outside as if the trees were taken inside, the roots would dehydrate and the chances that the tree would not survive would increase.

On the 12th December the Y6 children at Ashleigh, Browick Road & Robert Kett Primary schools all received a tree whip which they were advised to keep outside in the cold and plant once the particularly cold snap of weather was over and the ground was soft enough for the tree roots to survive in. The children were given a talk on monoculture vs bio-diversity (essential by planting only one kind of thing this reduces biodiversity - not only of the plants or trees themselves, but what lives in them around them, under them). Children were able to see the roots of one tree, and each tree would support the lives of birds, insects, wildlife above the ground and in the ground, in the soil itself.

All three schools gave Greening Wymondham a great reception and all the children showed a great understanding of climate change and global warming and explained to us what part trees played in this i.e. storing of carbon dioxide.

Comments from the children: 'Ooh, I love trees'; 'I would like a crab apple so I can have the fruits from it' (Little do they know!); 'I'll have the nutty one'; 'I'm going to eat the hazelnuts.’

Browick Road Community Orchard - Well things have come a long way since the on site public meeting in October 2021. If you are not aware we are creating a community orchard of local heritage variety fruit trees on an area of neglected land to the east side of the Browick Road Recreation Ground, all the work being carried out by an enthusiastic group of volunteers.

The area has two sections - the upper (opposite Gunton Road) and the larger lower section. The upper section had been planted with 12 apple trees along with wildflowers and native daffodils last winter season. The daffodils and wildflowers put on a fantastic spring display and despite the hot summer, with regular watering, the trees coped very well with no casualties.

Since the summer our focus has been on the lower area, which borders the main recreational field and the industrial estate car park. This has been hard graft as it required a lot of clearance of both vegetation and dumped waste including building materials. I’m glad to say we are now on top of it and are at the stage of starting to construct the various planned areas. These include an activity area, raised beds and of course more fruit trees. Sustainability is important to us, as such all our work so far has been achieved with manual effort and hand tools and our goal is to use as few mechanical tools as possible. To the same end we are using as many recycled items as is reasonably possible, for example, our recently constructed compost and leaf mould area is made up of unwanted pallets.

We will be planting about another 20 fruit trees in January/February including apple, pear, mulberry, plum, quince and medlar, but due to the nature of the poor soil and on advice sought from the Royal Horticultural Society we are having to dig planting pits with improved soil to give them their best chance.

A few thanks are also in order; George and David at Clements Ironmongers for the pallets, David at Wymondham Tree Services for the wood chip; Steve at Alderfen Marsh for the compost and of course all the volunteers who have given their time and effort over the last year and a half.

In the near future, we have a planting event on the 18th Feb between 10am & Noon to plant a number of trees which have been sourced utilising grants obtained. We would welcome a good turnout of local people to help plant the trees but also to come and look at the work that has been undertaken.

There is still plenty more work to do and jobs for all ages, so if you want to be part of this great community project, everyone is welcome and no skill or experience is necessary, just turn up. Volunteer sessions are normally on every other Saturday, 10am to 12noon with a tea break at 11.

For details of the project and the next date visit the Greening Wymondham website or see dates in the What’s On Page.

Rothbury Park - Greening Wymondham have been working with a Landscape Architect on a new plan for Rothbury Park, including a path, better disabled access and play opportunities and much more tree planting. There will be a public consultation with an exhibition in the Rothbury Community Centre on the afternoon of Saturday 11th February 2023, between 2-4 pm. This will be an opportunity for local residents and those using the park to discuss the draft plan with Greening Wymondham members. The exhibition will then move to Wymondham Library before presentation to the Town Council.

Becketswell Park – following a meeting between Greening Wymondham members and the Mayor at the Park, the Town Council has resolved that Becketswell Park should be assessed by ecology specialists, tree surgeons and landscape designers to draw up detailed proposals for improvements to the Park. The Mayor said that he looks forward to working with Greening Wymondham to produce a master plan on which the public can be consulted.

Interaction with the Town Council – whilst we are sure this will be reported elsewhere, Greening Wymondham members attended the town council meeting on January 3rd to encourage council support for volunteers activities (which in turn benefit the town), support the Brighter Futures work, encourage the town council to progress with the Neighbourhood plan – in the near future there should be a referendum on the Neighbourhood Plan – please look out for this - and if this is approved by residents and councils this will mean that the town council will receive 25% of CIL funds instead of the 15% currently being received.

Tree fellas – well not actually felling tress but moving them, five volunteers (including three fellows) may have been seen walking trees in wheelbarrows down Market Street. This unusual sight was not daylight robbery but volunteers replanting the trees from the planting boxes outside the Cross Keys/Mad Hatters - South Norfolk Council has had to remove the planting boxes from outside the Cross Keys/Mad Hatters on the Market Place, as the one-way traffic order made during Covid has now expired. Wymondham in Bloom and Greening Wymondham volunteers have removed and re-homed the plants – with the two surviving trees having been replanted on the green space next to the Back Lane car park, as agreed with South Norfolk.