Today is the start of National Volunteer Week. FIF Carnoustie would like to thank every single one of you who has help FIF grow from a small garden in Queen Street to the fabulous space at Panda Lane in just one year. Without everyone's time, dedication, donations and good will none of this would have been possible. I have met so many wonderful people and been overwhelmed by the generosity of our local community. You're all fabulous 😍 #foodisfree #nationalvolunteerweek
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Lots going on in the Food is Free gardens this month. Queen Street has been a hive of activity this month already with Libby, Brian and Alec from Colourful Carnoustie prepping, planting and putting together a donated green house. Libby loves her Lasagna Gardening and has done a bit more of it again this year at Queen Street and we had a four legged visitor curious to see what was going on. Panda Lane saw the delivery and erection of a huge polytunnel generously donated to us by Angus Growers. We had a Seed Sowing day, a Sun Flower growing competition, a water tap supplied and fitted by Smyths and a delivery of surplus strawberry plants that would have otherwise been thrown in the dump! Lots of families are coming along to join in and take part in all that's going on. Kids as young as 2 can been seen playing in the soil, helping to dig, planting and generally getting their hands (and the rest of them) dirty. We have one tiny wee wheel barrow which is very popular and keeps kids occupied for ages. Some parents are commenting on how much they are enjoying seeing their kids covered from head to toe in dirt! The polytunnel is allowing us to carry on no matter what the weather and a place to have a rest and a natter. Laura and Libby tried out the donated patio furniture (purely for testing purposes) and Bob the builder has been busy building tables, planters, gates, fencing. You name it he's building it! Laura has put out a request for any surplus paint and paintbrushes for this weekends "Painting at Panda Lane" Laura posted on our facebook wall "It would be great to get those planters all painted bright colours! Weather permitting!There will be a list of jobs needing done so people can have a look and see what they can do. We also would like to sit and have a blether with everyone to hear your views and ideas (big or small) for the garden. Anyone with spare colourful paint and brushes please bring them along. And there is still plenty of growing to be done in the poly tunnel." So get yourselves along this Saturday 23rd of April to Panda Lane Carnoustie! " Check out our facebook page for more info and up-to-date shenanigans and remember to like us and share. |
Queen Street Easter Weekend.
After a fabulous night making connections and celebrating the wide variety of groups at the Haven Charity Shop evening and receiving a very generous cheque for £1000, Storm Kate didn’t stop work carrying on at Queen Street on Saturday.
Brian built up the edging on one of the lasagne beds. After Laura May and I deciding our skills are better placed elsewhere (Obviously Laura May thought far away elsewhere, and is on holiday in the Canaries!). A quicker tidier and all together more professional job was done too!!
I planted 2 rows of early potatoes (Rocket), cleared the polytunnel and filled it with seeds that I had sown last weekend. I cut back the privet hedge that Laura and Bob cut down last year and have stored it for pea sticks. I planted 2 rows of Centurion onions.
On Sunday I planted up more seeds and Sheila McAinsh is kindly giving them a home in her greenhouse and will look after them! That is the plants for the Legume bed and the Brassica beds all sown and a lot more besides to give away. I have sown an abundance of Peas and after cutting my bamboo, I am going to dry this out and we can hopefully give away pea kits. (Plants and sticks to make tepee frames.)
Have put a shout on Facebook for getting the watering Rota up and running again so any volunteers would be welcome just let me know via the FB page or the email.
Libby
After a fabulous night making connections and celebrating the wide variety of groups at the Haven Charity Shop evening and receiving a very generous cheque for £1000, Storm Kate didn’t stop work carrying on at Queen Street on Saturday.
Brian built up the edging on one of the lasagne beds. After Laura May and I deciding our skills are better placed elsewhere (Obviously Laura May thought far away elsewhere, and is on holiday in the Canaries!). A quicker tidier and all together more professional job was done too!!
I planted 2 rows of early potatoes (Rocket), cleared the polytunnel and filled it with seeds that I had sown last weekend. I cut back the privet hedge that Laura and Bob cut down last year and have stored it for pea sticks. I planted 2 rows of Centurion onions.
On Sunday I planted up more seeds and Sheila McAinsh is kindly giving them a home in her greenhouse and will look after them! That is the plants for the Legume bed and the Brassica beds all sown and a lot more besides to give away. I have sown an abundance of Peas and after cutting my bamboo, I am going to dry this out and we can hopefully give away pea kits. (Plants and sticks to make tepee frames.)
Have put a shout on Facebook for getting the watering Rota up and running again so any volunteers would be welcome just let me know via the FB page or the email.
Libby
We held our second meeting for Food Is Free Carnoustie in the Panmure Community Centre. Second meeting for FIF, the last meeting public meeting in the iconic building as it is earmarked for closure in the near future due to rising maintenance costs and it not being fit for purpose. Poignant in the sense that the building was coming to an end but for Food Is Free, it's just the beginning.
Laura started off with a plan of possible ideas for Panda Lane then opened it up to everyone for their suggestions. Some great ideas were tossed about so Laura is going back to tweek the plan and come up with something fairly concrete but like all the best laid plans......
Next up was Laura-May with a Hi-Tech slide show (see below)
Libby then discussed future plans and again opened it up to everyone for their opinions and thoughts. Lots of discussion right through to the tea break.
A big massive thanks to everyone who came along and took part.
Laura started off with a plan of possible ideas for Panda Lane then opened it up to everyone for their suggestions. Some great ideas were tossed about so Laura is going back to tweek the plan and come up with something fairly concrete but like all the best laid plans......
Next up was Laura-May with a Hi-Tech slide show (see below)
Libby then discussed future plans and again opened it up to everyone for their opinions and thoughts. Lots of discussion right through to the tea break.
A big massive thanks to everyone who came along and took part.
It was a "vest tucked in your knickers kind of day" on Saturday. The sun was out but was pretty cold but that didn't stop some hardy souls turning up!
The big mound was moved by DJ Laings (Thank you again!) to a more suitable spot along side the fence and away from the beautiful wall. This will allow us to create some fantastic spaces such as sensory walls, relaxations spaces, maybe a kids corner, a mossy mat. The options are endless and lots of great ideas are being banded about.
We also got a further 8 tonnes of soil delivered free of charge from Cotside Quarry at Barry so that needed moving from bottom of the garden to the soil pile. Boy was that hard work! When you look at 8 tonnes of top soil, it doesn't look to be too much but when you're moving it from one spot to another..... well lets just say it was tougher than a tough day at the tatties! Anyway, with the help of some enthusiastic kids, it was all moved and ready to get mixed in with some manure. This is all in preparation for when it's time to start planting.
The big mound was moved by DJ Laings (Thank you again!) to a more suitable spot along side the fence and away from the beautiful wall. This will allow us to create some fantastic spaces such as sensory walls, relaxations spaces, maybe a kids corner, a mossy mat. The options are endless and lots of great ideas are being banded about.
We also got a further 8 tonnes of soil delivered free of charge from Cotside Quarry at Barry so that needed moving from bottom of the garden to the soil pile. Boy was that hard work! When you look at 8 tonnes of top soil, it doesn't look to be too much but when you're moving it from one spot to another..... well lets just say it was tougher than a tough day at the tatties! Anyway, with the help of some enthusiastic kids, it was all moved and ready to get mixed in with some manure. This is all in preparation for when it's time to start planting.
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