Wymondham should pat itself on the back. Its community spirit is stunning – as evidenced by all the different volunteers who turned up to help Greening Wymondham plant trees at Rothbury Park.
We had people from other Greening Wymondham projects like the Orchard, Friarscroft and Ketts Park. But on came volunteers from Wymondham in Bloom – showing they could move from planting flowers and shrubs to large trees with remarkable ease!
Then there were some people from the Wymondham allotments, using the energy they would normally expend on their own beds to help out. May you be rewarded with new allotments soon!
There were local people too, prepared to give the hours to make sure all 31 trees went in. Poignantly, some wanted to plant a tree in memory of a local resident they’d cared for who had enjoyed the park.
Thanks, of course, to the council, whose officers had made sure the right trees arrived early on that foggy, cold morning, and to Mark Webster of The Conservation Volunteers, who helped dig.
Over the next few months, root barriers will go in to protect the paths, we'll hedge along the playground and a few spots elsewhere, and borders will be mapped out and dug.
On April 11th, there’ll be a Mega Planting all day at Rothbury, putting in flowers and shrubs. Please add it to your diary and let us know you’re coming by emailing greening.wymondham@gmail.com!
Just when we were celebrating the milk of human kindness came the blow for Kett’s Park Woods – someone stole power tools from Norwich Fringe, who led the work at the wood. There seems to have been a spate over Christmas and the New Year with mutterings of professional gangs. It has meant a month lost at the wood – now back on track – and devastating for the small firms and individuals who’ve also been hit.
On a happier note, eight volunteers from Friarscroft Wood have had a small reward for all their efforts over the last three years: a hedge-laying course, courtesy of South Norfolk District Council! Given the amount of hedging we’ve been putting in in Wymondham, it’s an investment!
Our camera trap in these woods shows a big uptick in the number of people and dogs wandering through this winter. However, our fears that the increase in people might deter wildlife haven’t been realised: the same camera trap shows muntjac and foxes still using the same paths – just at very different times!
Some trees are being lost to a combination of wet ground and high winds, but we have a serious replanting programme going on. It’s wonderful to put in a tree whip, knowing it could benefit generations of Wymondhamites.
And old customs were duly followed at Browick Road Community Orchard as they wassailed the fruit trees, complete with ribbons and wassail drink and food. It was duly held on the old Twelfth Night and brings health to the orchard. We’ll be checking the blossom come April!
Finally, congratulations to everyone who turned up to litter pick last month – what is it with people dropping litter right next to a litter bin? Or a particular Wymondham favourite, which is stuffing bottles and cans in hedges!
The January Pick was all good practice for the Great Big Wymondham Spring Clean on March 21st – run in conjunction with South Norfolk council’s Big Litter Pick and Keep Britain Tidy’s Great British Spring Clean. We expect the whole of Norfolk to be sparkling and Wymondham looking beautiful …..
As ever, you can find us on Facebook and Instagram and at https://www.greeningwymondham.org. If you want to visit our projects to find out more, sign up for our emails on the website, and we’ll let you know the next dates as they come up.
