Dear friend,
We’re delighted to announce that we’ve secured a further 3 years of funding from the National Lottery Community Fund for our new Growing Together project, starting in May 2023 🌟 The funding, worth £225,000 over the 3 years, will enable us to continue the activities previously funded in the Gateway to the Gardens project and will offer further opportunities for those wanting a more gentle gardening experience as well as more opportunities for young people to get involved. More info will follow soon via social media and updates in the newsletter.Join our team – we’re recruiting to a variety of exciting vacancies. Find details below or visit our vacancies webpage for full job descriptions.Best wishes,HollyPS. A little personal message from me – I’ll be leaving STAA at the end of April to join another local charity. I wanted to say thank you very much for reading these newsletters and that it was a joy to get to meet some of you.
PPS. If you’d like to receive news like this in your inbox each month, join our mailing list here.
Join our team
Finance and Office Manager15 hours per week over 3 days. Salary £29,000 (FTE)We are looking to recruit a highly organised and capable Finance and Office Manager to join our small, busy team. The successful applicant will ensure the effective financial management and administration of all STAA’s projects and activities. Full details here.Events and Engagement Administrator15 hours per week over 3 days. Salary £25,000 (FTE)We are looking for someone with excellent communication skills and keen attention to detail to help us engage, monitor and report on our interactions with participants, volunteers, and customers across all activities and service areas. Full details here.
Spring workshops
Spring foraging walk – Gather food for freeSaturday 8th April 10:00-12:00, £25A relaxing and practical morning finding food in the hedgerow and gardens of St Ann’s Allotments. Depending on the arrival of Spring, we’ll be gathering plants such as wild garlic, nettles, jack by the hedge, hairy bittercress, fat hen & hawthorn leaves.Learn how to compost and improve your soil fertilitySaturday 8th April 13:30-15:30, £25Bring a jar of your own soil along to test and investigate, learn about a variety of techniques to improve soil like creating the perfect compost and making your own liquid plant feeds. We’ll also look at how and when to sow plants to use as green manure. Spring wreath making — Fully bookedSaturday 22nd April 10:00-13:00, £40Learn how to use a blend of fresh foliage along with dried and faux flowers to create a lovely Spring wreath to adorn your door. Run by Tracey from Wild Jasmine Florist and Flower School.Planting your cut flower gardenSaturday 22nd April 13:30-15:30, £25Love flowers? We want to inspire you to grow beautiful cut flowers for yourself, your family & friends. From early Spring bulbs to late Autumn blooms, we’ll share the simple secrets behind our cut-flower garden. Make your own Summer hanging basketSaturday 13th May 10:00-12:00, £40Come along and create your own lovely 14-inch, moss-lined Summer basket to take home. You’ll learn how to select a good range of trailing and semi-trailing plants, construct your arrangement for maximum impact & care for it to create a long-lasting display.Beekeeping taster daySaturday 27th May 10:00-15:30, £85A practical, hands-on introduction to beekeeping, learning how to check hives, build your own frame, and taste honey. Lunch and beekeeping suits will be provided.
“It was a wonderful morning. Friendly, informative, and generous with plants. Tracey was great. I will definitely be signing up for more sessions”– Feedback from a Spring hanging basket workshop participant
Guided tours
We lead walks around St Ann’s Allotments on the last Wednesday of every month, 1:30-3pm. The 1.3-mile guided tour takes you to our Heritage Display Garden and Nursery, telling the 700-year story of how this 32-acre site changed from pasture and orchards, to Victorian pleasure gardens, to working-class allotments. Including stories of people who lived here and the grassroots campaign to save the site from redevelopment.Find out more and book tickets here.
On the Orchard
The Community Orchard runs free events for all ages.Easter holiday specials 🐣Play, Grow & Eat, Wednesday 5th & 12th April, 11:00-14:00Adventure play, Thursday 6th & 13th April, 13:00-15:00Regular activitiesNew Shoots, every Tuesday in term time, 09:30-11:00After School, every Wednesday in term time, 15:45-17:00Community Open Day, Saturday 25th February, 12:00-15:00
Volunteering
Volunteering continues as usual, with so much to help with at this busy time of year!Tuesdays at the Nursery, 10:00-14:00Digging, sowing, pruning, clearing, building, watering, harvesting! All things food and flower focused for a productive garden.Wednesdays at Oliver’s, 10:00-14:00Help maintain a beautiful display garden for visitors to enjoy, and promote its heritage features.Volunteer inductionsWednesday 19th April, 10:00-12:00This is an introductory session for anyone interested in volunteering at STAA. Receive a tour of our projects to find out what you might be interested in, and an opportunity to meet people and ask questions.Continuing the Coppice PlotSaturday 8th April, 10:00-14:00In this session, we will move away from woodland tasks, into ensuring access and paths are in good condition, and that the wildflowers can flourish. So a mix of clearing, planting and path maintenance/creation!Hawthorn plot, paths & habitatsSaturday 22nd April, 10:00-14:00We will extend the brick-edged path, create a deadwood habitat and check the wildflowers.Suitable for all abilities and levels of experience, tools provided.Just dress for the weather! 🌦️If you have any questions about volunteering, please contact Lucy at volunteering@staa-allotments.org.uk or visit our website.
On the blog
This week on the blog, Paul talks about his favourite tree – the Hazel – and why every garden should have one.Read all about it: https://staa-allotments.org.uk/news/
