Green Gym Newsletter Early February

Hi Green Gym supporters

Can it really be February already? If you didn’t think it could get any more soggy in Winsford Gardens, then think again! Last week was only the second time I can remember us finishing up early; we are out in all weather conditions, but the lawns were being ruined by our walking on them. This week we were thinking of opening Winsford Gardens Lido, but thankfully the rain has finally stopped.
Despite the weather we have had a record turnout of volunteers during the winter months and have even welcomed along some new faces. We were able to complete building the second dead hedge and the new seating is almost completed. We have applied for funding for our proposed Bog garden and have even undertaken some landscaping by the ponds as preparation work. The Greenhouse has also been tidied and given a good clean out. And we have been busy making more willow structures from the remaining willow withies. 
Late Knights & the Palace Pint

We were quite surprised, but pleased to receive a donation of £95 from the Late Knights micro-brewery in Penge. They auctioned off their very last barrel of the Palace Pint in aid of Penge Green Gym. Thanks are also due to the Westow House public house who won the auction and paid up the cash. The Palace Pint was a bitter brewed using hops actually grown by Crystal Palace Transition Town members in their own gardens! Palace Pint will be selling hop packs again this year around March so if you would like to join the project you can find out more about the Palace Pint here: http://www.crystalpalacetransition.org.uk/palace-pint.html
And you can discover more about our local Penge brewery here: http://www.lateknightsbrewery.co.uk/

Open Garden Squares 2014

We have already begun the planning for our third annual open day as part of the Open Garden Squares Weekend. Please put the date in your diaries now: Saturday 14th June 2014 because we will require as many volunteers as possible to help out on the day. We would like to make this year bigger than ever, so as well as our very popular children’s activities, plant sale and refreshment tent, we are also planning a few guest speakers, as well as a few new surprises that are still under wraps.

If you haven’t yet heard of the Open Gardens Squares Weekend, it is a prestigious event in the gardeners calendar when gardens all over London open their doors to the public. There are private gardens which are never usually open such as 10, Downing Street or HM Prison gardens. There are gardens inside shipping containers, on canal barges, wildlife gardens and rose gardens, historical private squares and contemporary roof gardens, in museums, schools and hospitals or private residences. And Winsford Gardens is one of them. You can read more about the Open Garden Squares Weekend here: http://www.opensquares.org/

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