April 26, 2007
Will we get rain?
The dry spring means that there could be a shortage of water for the sensory garden's new plants. However a donation of £100 from Yorkshire Water for rainwater collection equipment means that we should be able to collect rain water from the library roof.
If we get any rain!
Posted by martin at 8:42 AM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2007
Safety and respect
Some armchair observers feared that the new Sensory garden would be vandalised. One way to lessen this risk is to make sure that it is kept clean and tidy at all times, and Brunswick workers will be doing regular maintenance.
However during recent cold weather when the water feature was turned off to avoid icing, someone filled the water feed with stones and soil. This was cleared out yesterday morning by Richard Williams who keeps an eye on the electrical features, but by the afternoon more stones had been attempted to be put in the now running fountain.
This is dangerous and anti-social, and everyone is asked to keep a look out for any more instances, and ask whoever is responsible at the time to make sure it does not happen.
Posted by martin at 7:55 AM | Comments (0)
More plants
Some more roses have been planted by Brunswick workers in front of the garden courtesy of a donation from Shirley Gallins. Some additional plants are also to be purchased. If you want to donate towards the planting of additional plants for the garden, please contact the Millennium Trust Secretary.
Posted by martin at 7:47 AM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2006
Garden story
The garden opened with a well-attended ceremony on Saturday (see main story here).
It took a while to organise the garden. We agreed to lease the land from the Council in August 2005, but it took until March this year to get a legal agreement from them. Work thus started in April, and it took much longer to excavate the old soil - we found large amounts of the old air raid shelter, tree roots, tarmac and concrete to dig out. Sean Jones did a fantastic job of excavation helped by a fair number of volunteers, and 20 truck loads of soil were deposited at Acaster airfield.
However there were never enough volunteers with the time and skills to prepare and lay the paving, so we paid to have this done. It was during this time that local firms did us proud with the loan of equipment and time, helping move materials and so on. The Marcia provided tea and bacon sarnies, and stored the paving bricks at the back of their car park. The paving was largely finished by August.
The raised planters were designed and built by John Bettridge, and installed by workers from Brunswick - who had to dig down through the hardcore just laid beneath the paving! The Brunswick workers, lead by Geoff Freeston then dug out and prepared the beds, adding composted garden waste collected and re-cycled by the Council, with a weed suppressing membrane and mulch on top. Plants were then planted in to this. The sight raised planter was filled with pansies and tulip bulbs by the Gardening Club. This was complete by early October.
The water feature was brought from a Welsh quarry and a base plate added by Ian Jemison. It was installed on its sump with the combined efforts of Jim Davey, Richard Parkin and Martin Dudley. Richard Williams completed the electrical works started by Russell Turner, and installed the low voltage LED lights in the pavement, sold to us at cost by Howard Green. After a protracted delay, the electricity supply meter was installed and we were able to try out the lights and water pump.
Jenny Harris sourced and purchased two seats, and they were installed by Simon Sykes. Older residents at Vernon House completed a sunflower mosaic under the guidance of Art and About, and United Utilities gave the gas kiosk a makeover. The Library Service contributed too by paying for resurfacing in front of the library.
It was a long slog, but we got there in the end. You can read about progress in the stories written about the sensory garden on this web site, and there are more photos on the Photo File (see under Library).
The garden has been designed to allow people of all ages and abilities to access it. The flat hard surface allows wheeled vehicles (no bikes though!) easy access, and the raised beds allow easy access to the plants.
Thanks to the donation of funds, local people were able to add their time and skills to the project. Timber, fencing, railings, signing and materials were sourced locally wherever possible.
From this...
To this...
Posted by martin at 12:04 PM | Comments (0)
November 11, 2006
Tick a box
Well at last the day has dawned - the opening of the first result of the long process that is the Crossroads scheme.
Four years ago there was an Ideas Day about how the Mllennium Trust could work towards some longer term goals. Research, audits, campaigning and fund raising followed. A Design Competition was held, and a plan for a new garden was launched. In Spring 2006, work started on the garden.
Today, November 11th 2006 has started cold, with wind and showers forecast. At noon the garden will be formally opened. Let's hope the crowds turn out despite the calls of sports and christmas shopping.
Posted by martin at 9:16 AM | Comments (0)
November 7, 2006
Final preparations
It's only a few days to go before the opening of the Sensory Garden, and final preparations have been taking place.
Richard Williams installs the lighting
The lighting is state of the art very low wattage LEDs
Thanks to the help and support of United Utilities, they have now painted the gas kiosk in a suitable green, and with the paving laid around it, the whole thing looks a lot smarter.
Meanwhile we have installed and tested the water feature that has been purchased by the family of Mrs Spooner, who lived in School Lane. This was quarried in Wales, and installed by the project group and Brunswick workers with the help of Stoneplan Landscapes.
The redoubtable Pete Trimble and his brother have used up spare paving to lay a path to the footway,around the gas kiosk and at the back of the garden, and the Library Service has agreed to re-tarmac the rest of the area in front of the library.
Are you 'aving a laugh Pete Trimble?
The two seats have been provided by the Bishopthorpe Gala Committee, and a third one has been donated by Gordon Watkins. The Parish Council has also bought a seat to replace the old one that stood in front of the Library, although this has yet to be installed. Thanks to Ian Jemison for the fittings and Simon Sykes for the installation.
The Brunswick Team take a well earned rest -
(l to r) Geoff Freeston Shane Overall Wayne Coultas Peter Temple
Posted by martin at 11:12 AM | Comments (0)
October 18, 2006
Funding the Garden
Although not all the bills are in yet, the Sensory Garden will cost around £12 000.
This sum would have been considerably more if it had not been for the many hours of voluntary labour, gifts of materials and the loan of equipment by local firms.
Direct funding has been gratefully received from:
Awards for All (Big Lottery Fund)
Mrs Lyn Glass (in memory of Mrs Margaret Spooner, formerly of School Lane)
The York and North Yorkshire Community Foundation
The York Pride Challenge Fund
The Wheldrake and Bishopththorpe Ward Committee
The Sylvia and Colin Shepherd Charitable Trust
The Bishopthorpe Millennium Trust
Norwich Union Community Stars
Bishopthorpe Parish Council
The Shepherd Building Group
The Bishopthorpe Gala Committee
Gordon Watkins
Bishopthorpe Residents
Posted by martin at 3:16 PM | Comments (0)
October 12, 2006
Last lap
There are still things to be done to finish the sensory garden.
Paving is to be laid around the gas installation. We are still waiting for the electricity meter to be installed so that Richard Williams can connect up the lights and water feature. The seats have to be installed - Ian Jemison has made fixings. The water feature itself has yet to be delivered to site and fixed in position. And the remaining plants have to be installed - the Bishopthorpe Gardening Club has helped with part of this by planting out the Sight bed.
There is also to be an additional element to the garden - a coloured floor mosaic. This has been made at Vernon House day centre by some of the village's older residents, under the guidance of Alison Williams and Lyn Peacock.
We expect all of this to be done in the next few weeks, so...
The sensory garden will be officially opened
at 12.00 noon on Saturday 11th November 2006
All are welcome to attend and celebrate the first stage of the Bishopthorpe Village Centre Improvement Scheme.
Posted by martin at 8:42 AM | Comments (0)
October 8, 2006
Getting Rooted
At last the plants are going in!
Plants await planting out - heavy rain prevented as much being done on the day as hoped.
The Taste bed gets its first plants
The Sound bed has a bamboo and other tall plants to rustle in the wind
Posted by martin at 3:34 PM | Comments (0)
October 7, 2006
Its a gas!
United Utilities kindly came and removed the concrete post with a small sign on it and fixed the sign to the front doors of the gas convertor 'shed'. This means we can lay a small access path around the shed to keep down weeds and litter.
Furthermore it now looks like they will replace the front doors, and we have been given permission to to paint the structure in order to make it less unattrcative. Nothing garish, mind.
Posted by martin at 4:46 PM | Comments (0)
Work in progress
Work has continued on the garden using the efforts of volunteers and the good folk from Brunswick Organic Nursery. Below we see the plastic membrane that now covers the whole planting area. This supresses weeds and retains water. Plants are then planted in cuts in the plastic, which will be then covered with a tree bark mulch. In the corner can be seen an extra bit of fencing to enclose and protect the garden.
This picture shows a pensive moment as the fifth planter - to contain plants that will rustle in the wind - is positioned and lined up. We got it right in the end!
Posted by martin at 3:19 PM | Comments (0)
September 9, 2006
Is it a garden yet?
Well not quite, but the Sensory Garden does now begin to look like one. Brunswick trainess have been making over the planting beds, adding fertiliser, and filling the four free-standing planters. These will contain plants for delighting the four senses sight, touch, smell and taste.
Dig and Barrow
Part of the history of the village was finally removed this week when the last remains of the air raid shelter were carted away by on the Brunswick truck.
At the same time, United Utilities has agreed to move the sign, seen below, and place it on the gas convertor to reduce clutter on the site, and we are hopeful that we can improve the look of the ugly building by having it painted.
Brusnwick staff and trainess are busy this week preparing for the launch on Friday of the restored Palace walled gardens, but hope to be in a position to start planting the week following. The railings at the front are due to be installed this week.
We are still looking for help with the electrical wiring..
..and have been offered some by Richard Williams.
Posted by martin at 8:32 AM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2006
Paving the way
Over the weekend the paved area of the sensory garden was finished off thanks to the efforts of Pete Trimble and colleagues. Meanwhile the wooden planters are being built, and we see below the first of these being assembled on site by Millennium Trustees John Bettridge and Liam Godfrey, and parish councillor Andrew Dunn.
On Monday staff and trainees from Brunswick Organic Nursery began the task of clearing the planting areas and preparing the soil for the planters (there will be five in all), and they will be working over the next few days to carry on with this.
Dave King is helpings us with getting electrical components as the supply has now been laid, and Russ Turner has already done some installation work.
Thanks are also due to Ken Webster for moving the paving blocks from the Marcia, and Moor Lane Construction for the loan of equipment.
Posted by martin at 3:21 PM | Comments (0)
July 17, 2006
The heat is on
With great help from volunteers and assistance from staff from Moor Lane Construction. more progress has been made on getting the garden ready. It has taken a lot of stone to fill the hole dug to get us down to a firm level, but we are nearly there.
A detailed scheme for the supply of electricity has been worked out at last with some help from York council staff, and we expect mains connection to be laid on 7th August. The supply will be used to power a water pump, and we have laid conduit to take power through the garden for future uses.
As well as volunteers, we have now had help on the garden with plant, labour and materials from local builders and engineers Moor Lane Construction, Ken Webster, Simon Sykes, and Ian Jemison. Brunswick Nursery who will be supplying the plants later continues to help out with the loan of their truck.
Posted by martin at 12:45 PM | Comments (0)
May 13, 2006
New funding
A bid from the Millennium Trust for £1000 to Norwich Union has been successful and has been added to the budget for the sensory garden.
Unfortunately a bid to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has been turned down.
Posted by martin at 8:37 AM | Comments (0)
May 2, 2006
Garden Update
Works has continued over the weekend to prepare the site. The concrete base for the old bus shelter proved too tough for the volunteers (see below) and the machine we hired, so we will have another go soon.
Steve Marshall and Steve White dig out the concrete
We expect the delivery this week of the limestone aggregate that will provide the base for the paved area. Meanwhile the timber for the raised planters has ben delivered cut, and is being experimented with as to the best methods of assembly and delivery to site.
Volunteers this week have included John Bettridge, Richard Parkin, Jenny Harris, June Whittaker, Mark Jubb, Steve Marshall, Steve White, Andrew Dunn and Sean Jones (project manager). With thanks again to the Brunswick Nursery for the loan of the wagon and Amanda for the sandwiches.
New Sponsor
We are pleased to announce that Stoneplan Landscape Construction has agreed to lay the paved area once the site has been fully prepared at no direct cost, for which many thanks.
Posted by martin at 7:51 AM | Comments (0)
April 26, 2006
Time Team
We wondered if when we dug up the garden we would find any archaeological remains. Apart from a gas pipe into the Library and an old discoloured marble, the only bits of archaeology we found was a fair amount of builders rubble in the form of red and blue bricks. According to local historian Linda Haywood, this is probably the remains of the air raid shelter that once stood on the site, as she has spoken to various elderly inhabitants including Mrs Shirley Farr whose parents used to be the librarians, and the consensus is that it was made of brick.
The air raid shelter was more or less positioned where the current library is standing but, it was smaller, narrower and set back from Main Street and it had a muddy path leading to it, full of pot holes. It had only one door, a flat concrete roof and, of course, there were no windows. It became the library in 1954 (when it was transferred from the old school.)
It can be imagined that it was a pretty bleak place to keep a library, but they covered the floor, put in electric lighting and an electric wall heater. Mrs. Farr says that it wasn’t damp! It was open on Monday & Friday evenings from 7 to 9 and possibly Wednesday afternoons from 3 to 5, (although she’s a bit uncertain on this.)
Parish Council records from 1954 (28 October [p267]) reveal:
Fencing on Village Green
It was reported that the fencing had been fixed in School Lane & suggested Clerk write to Tadcaster Rural District Council for 2 seats to be supplied as it would improve the site. After discussion, agreed when the Air Raid Shelter had been converted into the Library, a scheme could be got up to cut the grass & make the site tidy & in keeping with the Village amenities.
In 1964, a proposal was put to a Parish Meeting by the Parish Council to sell the 881 sq yds of land to the West Riding County Council for a new library. Sixty parishioners attended and the proposal was carried. The site was sold for £1,250. The shelter was demolished in 1967 and the new library was built and opened on 1st November 1968.
The Library under construction
Of course the Library became part of North Yorkshire and then York council services. and as the sensory garden is being built we can consider that the use of the land is once more in local hands!
Does anyone know of a photo of the old air raid shelter or the Library as built?
Posted by martin at 7:38 AM | Comments (0)
April 18, 2006
All in a weekend's work
Over Easter a major part of the preparatory work on the garden was completed. Excavations were made by digger in the area that will be paved over, and paviors were lifted and cleaned.
A young volunteer cleans off paviors for re-use
Tree roots are dumped in the skip
Excavations complete
Additional help came from John Bettridge, Phil Marshall and David Wright.
Work remains to clear the front of the site before the excavations can be back-filled with aggregate and sand prior to the laying of paving.
Posted by martin at 10:13 AM | Comments (0)
April 15, 2006
Work starts
A long good Friday saw the start of work to convert the garden next to the library. Lead by Sean Jones, a team of volunteers began to clear the land of rubbish and the existing fence. Enormous trees roots were dug up by mechanical digger, and a start was made on removing topsoil. An old wall was demolished by a team of young people - inside it were found two pennies from 1979. Below are pictures of work in hand:
With thanks to Sean Jones, Andrew Dunn, Paul and Helen Parker, Mikey Johnson, Alastair Dunn, Rebecca Miller, Lizzie Shearston, Jenny Harris, and Amanda Clarke at the Marcia for the sandwiches and a spot of digging!
Posted by martin at 7:49 AM | Comments (0)
April 7, 2006
Here we go!
Work has started to convert the disused library garden to the Sensory garden.
The first work begins........................as we start to create a video of the work
The dying cherry is down...soon to be replaced by many new plants
Over the Easter weekend, it is planned to remove the topsoil and start to lay the paving and create the planting beds.
If you would like to help, Just send us an email. with details of your availability.
If you want, you can have an opportunity to learn practically how to prepare and lay stone paving; or you can lend a hand clearing the land, removing soil, transporting materials, doing some wood assembly, making sandwiches or tea, relaying sports scores, or whatever.
Posted by martin at 7:33 AM | Comments (0)
March 28, 2006
Sensory Garden takes off!
Within a few days work should start on the new Sensory Garden.
Pictured below are local residents [from left] John Lynch (Genuine Builders) and Sean Jones (Garden Project Leader), and Geoff Freeston (Garden Designer, Brunswick Organic Nursery). These three will be mainly responsible for seeing through the programme of works to turn the garden into reality.
Work starts next week, with felling of two dying trees and preparing the site. Hard landscaping, power supplies, soil preparation, and installation of raised planters will follow, until the garden is ready for planting out.
There is still an opportunity for individuals and businesses to sponsor plants. If you are interested, please call 704270 or 709015. All donations are liable for Gift Aid.
Its expected that there will be opportunities to help with the garden: please email if you want to help.
It is intended to video the garden as it is built, and a photo file has been created here.
Posted by martin at 1:40 PM | Comments (0)
March 14, 2006
More funding
News today that the Sylvia and Colin Shepherd Trust has donated £500 towards the cost of the sensory garden.
Funding now stands as follows:
Full details of funding to date are here.
Posted by martin at 12:33 PM | Comments (0)
March 3, 2006
Garden Progress - March 2006
Detailed planning is underway for the construction of the sensory garden.
Groundworks are expected to start at the end of March, with planting during April. The garden will have planted borders, raised planters, paving and seating, and a water feature. It is intended to have iron railings and a gate that will be locked at night.
Contact us here if you would like to be kept informed of progress or would like to help with setting up the garden.
Posted by martin at 8:55 AM | Comments (0)
February 23, 2006
Sensory garden project
Today news was received that Awards for All has offered £4000 towards the cost of the Garden. This brings the project closer to its target.
Until today, funding had been raised from York Community Pride* (£1000), a private donor (£1300), the Gala Committee for a seat (£200), the Millennium Trust (£1000), the Shepherd Building Group (£500); £250 was rasied by the Trust at its Gala stall, and £220 has been raised through donations for plants and Christmas stars. An application for £3000 to the Ward Committee has been rejected despite over 120 people voting for it.
*You can read more about the York Community pride scheme here.
Posted by martin at 10:02 AM | Comments (0)
Garden Progress - February 2006
A brief for the design of the Sensory Garden was completed last year and from it staff at Brunswick Organic Nursery prepared an outline design for landscaping and planting the garden to provide all year interest. Seating will be installed. (You can download the draft brief [pdf] here.)
Meanwhile negotiations have been carried out with officials of the City of York Council that owns the land, and a lease for seven years is about to be agreed between the Bishopthorpe Millennium Trust and the Council. As soon as this is signed (by the end of the month), work can start on preparing the garden. It is intended to have borders and free-standing planters to contain plants that stimulate all the senses. There will be paving so that people with disabilities or with young children can move around esily, a water feature is planned, and ideas are being prepared for a mosaic to be made by local people. The garden will be fenced and gated.
It is expected that with the necessary funds and permissions in place, work can start on the garden at the end of March. To this end a group of volunteers is planning the work,and there will shortly be a meeting for all those interested in the garden or helping set it up.
Watch this space!
Posted by martin at 9:20 AM | Comments (0)
January 28, 2006
Photo File: creating the sensory garden
[Above and below} Former bus shelter with bushes removed showing neglected ground
Close up showing debris amd old fencing
Remains of gas installation power supply, accumulated rubbish in rear access area, and self-grown hedge
General view before work started
Nearly complete garden
and the Vernon House art group mosaic
Posted by martin at 2:06 PM | Comments (0)
July 1, 2005
Smelling of roses?
Moves are afoot to bring a first part of the Crossroads project in to being. The project group has agreed to negotiate with the City of York Council in order to provide a Sensory Garden on the site of the library garden.
The garden was one of the design suggestions that was approved by the Competition Panel, and will be taken forward as a small scheme to get the project going. The Millennium Trust is backing the scheme with some funds, and applications are being made for other money.
We are pleased to announce that Brunswick Organic Nursery and Craft Workshop staff have agreed to help design and implement the garden. Bishopthorpe Scouts have also offered help. There will be other opportunities to get involved too.
At a meeting/workshop later this month, we hope to agree the details of the project and how it can be implemented. More news on this later.
If you want to make a comment about this, click on 'Comments' below.
Posted by martin at 8:22 AM | Comments (0)