Dear friend,
June has been a beautiful month up on the allotments with vibrant flowers in bloom and the community harvest in full swing with plenty of salads, kale, herbs, chard and broad beans.
And to top off an already fantastic month was a rare wildlife sighting of Red Belted Clearwings by Melanie Penson, Conservation Officer of the Butterfly Conservation Charity.
“Melanie Penson, Conservation Officer with the charity Butterfly Conservation visited the Orchard on the open day on 24th June with some of her clearwing moth pheromone lures and looking for Red-belted Clearwings in particular. She was pleased to record a total of five of these County-rare moths, associated with the ancient fruit trees.
This is only the 9th County sight since the first modern Nottinghamshire record in 2007. The Allotment Complex as a whole is an important site for moths with other scarce species having been recorded at nocturnal moth trap events.
Currant Clearwings were also attracted to the lure set up around black and red currants. This is our most frequently recorded clearwing but from a new site”.
Join our team – we are currently recruiting for Sessional Workers to join our growing team here at STAA! Find details below or visit our vacancies webpage for the full job description.
Best wishes,Kayleigh
PS. If you’d like to receive news like this in your inbox each month, join our mailing list here.
Join our team
Sessional Worker£13.61 per hour
We are looking for inspiring and engaging team players who can support the delivery of a range of outdoor, community activities. If you love working outdoors, have a passion for nature, wildlife, horticulture and enjoying sharing this with others – we would love to hear from you!
Successful applicants will share our commitment to supporting local people to develop a connection with the natural environment, develop their skills and knowledge and improve their physical and emotional wellbeing. Full details here.
Deadline for applications is Friday 14th July 12noon.
Summer workshops
Weave your own willow flowers & dragonflies
Saturday 8th July 13:30 – 16:00 – £35
Come and weave your own small rustic garden sculptures and pick tips and techniques for working with willow. Learn how to sculpt your own dragonfly and flower in a relaxed group setting.
Saturday 22nd July 13:30 – 16:00 – £25
Learn how to spread your harvest across the year, including winter salads, hotbeds & take home seeds. No need for a barren garden come December, join us to discover how to design for winter feasting.
Fermentation Workshop: Make your own Sauerkraut & Kimchi
Saturday 22nd July 10:00 – 12:30 – £35
An in-depth introduction into everything you need to know about lactic fermentation techniques. Learn how to make sauerkraut, kimchi and other vegetables. Discover new ways of combining these ancient foods into everyday meals.
Plan your own Cut Flower Garden
Tuesday 6th August 18:00 – 20:30 – £25
Love flowers? We want to inspire you to successfully grow beautiful cut flowers for yourself and to gift to your friends and family. From early Spring bulbs to late Autumn blooms, we will share with you the simple secrets behind our cut-flower garden.
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.Regular activitiesNew Shoots, every Tuesday in term time, 09:30-11:00After School, every Wednesday in term time, 15:45-17:00Community Open Day, Saturday 22nd July 12:00-15:00
Volunteering
Volunteering continues as usual, with plenty of opportunities to join us!
Tuesdays at the Nursery, 10:00-14:00
Digging, sowing, pruning, clearing, building, watering, harvesting! All things food and flower focused for a productive garden.
Wednesdays at Oliver’s, 10:00-14:00
Help maintain a beautiful display garden for visitors to enjoy, and promote its heritage features.
Volunteer inductions:
Tuesday 18th July 10.00 -12:00 & Saturday 22nd July 14:00 -16:00
This 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.
If you have any questions about volunteering, please contact Lucy at volunteering@staa-allotments.org.uk or visit our website.
On the blog
This month on the blog, Paul gives us in insight into Hungerhill Celebrities!Read all about it: https://staa-allotments.org.uk/news/
