November 2023 News
Some of the gardeners at our community garden at Falkland Road
Rainbow over St James
The following week, both the after school and daytime groups transplanted raspberries. The children in the after school session enjoyed the extra treat of munching on raspberries from the autumn fruiting bushes.
Thanks to Bee Wirral CIC Elemental Project for joining us on 15th November to help repair the shed roof after the recent winds.
Repairing the shed roof at St James Community Garden
Friends from WEN classes gathered together on 10th and 13th November for two taster sessions of Easy Basic Breads for Beginners. These were fun, informal and informative demos of how to start making delicious home made breads to share with family and friends. All made from simple ingredients with no mixers or experience necessary! There will be more bread making sessions starting in the New Year, led by Spot and Stripe Kitchen Garden. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for details or sign up to our email newsletter.
Taste test time for the delicious handmade bread
The WEN Pre-Christmas Fair took place on 18th November. It was a wonderful occasion with a great turnout. There were plenty of opportunities to pick out some Christmas gifts with a wide range of stalls including plants grown at WEN, children’s activity boxes from Wirral Unplugged, Fairtrade items, locally produced beer with hops grown at Callister Garden and Make Hamilton Square, homemade chutneys and jams, handmade jewellery, bags and knitted clothes, and gemstones. To keep energy levels up we were lucky to have our incredible cake stall, as well as hearty bowls of soup served by the Friends of Vale Park. Thank you to the volunteers and stallholders who made the day happen and thanks to all who visited. See photos from the fair on our Facebook page.
Welcome to the WEN Christmas Fair
Handmade gifts from the WEN Crafters
We held the WEN AGM on 22nd November. After the formal business of receiving the annual report and accounts and the election of Trustees, some members gave 5 minute talks about environmental issues and their experiences. Projects and organisations represented in the talks were the Wirral Eco School programme, a community energy grant, Wirral Repair Café, Cool Heswall, The New Brighteners, Wirral Tree Wardens, Energy Projects Plus and Transition Towns.
Members were keen for a Cool Wirral event in the east of the Wirral in the summer. WEN used to run the Green Fair and we have two fairs a year at our base at Falkland Road, Seacombe. Trustees will discuss if it would be possible to put on something bigger.
Members also gave positive feedback on the WEN newsletter including ‘the best I have ever seen’, ‘succinct’, ‘well-laid out’, and ‘I always read it’! If you aren’t already a subscriber, you can sign up to the newsletter here.
Download the 2023 annual review here
Annual Review – November 2022 to November 2023
In the week beginning 27th November, leading up to Carbon Literacy Action Day on 4th December, we joined forces with Energy Projects Plus and Faiths4Change to provide people with free accredited Carbon Literacy training, funded by Wirral Council. The 30 places were available for residents of Wirral who wanted to learn about climate change and make pledges to take action to reduce their carbon footprint as an individual, and as part of an organisation or community.
Willow weaving workshop in action
Thanks to our volunteer Manisha, who has compiled a guide to what to do with hard to recycle items. This is a very useful alphabetical list of where to take items that can not be put in our grey recycling bin, nor dropped off at a Household Waste Recycling Centre, but that can still be recycled or reused if you know what to do with them.
Download the WEN Guide to What To Do with Hard To Recycle Items
The list is up to date as of May 2023. If you have any suggestions of other items to include on the list that are collected by local shops or organisations, please email wen@la21.net
There are still a few places available on the following Discover Gardening courses at WEN, starting in January.
For more information, to book on a course or find out about other courses, please phone 07932 355742 or email carol.seery1@btinternet.com
Practical Gardening
Starts Wednesday 10th January 2024, 9 – 11.30 am
Discover the theory and practice the tasks you can do in your garden in the winter.
Includes getting ready for spring, pruning, taking cuttings, what to sow, taking care of your soil, what to do in your garden week by week, looking at YOUR garden for the rest of the year and much more!
Cost: £60.00 for each 10 week term.
Discover the Past, Present and Future of Your Garden
Starts Wednesday 10th January 2024, 12 – 2pm
Discover the history of gardens, with outings to local gardens and parks of interest.
Find out what you should be doing week by week in your garden and have your horticultural puzzles solved in Question and Answer time.
Cost: £60.00 for each 10 week term (20 hours)
You can do one term or as many as you like as all are different!
There were a number of people unable to make the Ancient Egypt ‘Mineral Journey Around the World’ workshop in October, and consequently some requests to hold the session again. Julie would like to let people know that she will be running this workshop again on Saturday 10th February at WEN. It starts at 10am and finishes around 1pm with a refreshment break in the middle. The cost is £15 which includes a donation to WEN.
Egypt: Buildings, Beliefs and Beautiful Minerals
A look at Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and the role of the gods in life and death, the development and spiritual significance of the pyramids, and the importance of specific colours in Egyptian society. Examine about ten different minerals that were incredibly important to the Egyptians due to their colour, their protective attributes and their medicinal properties.
Please contact Julie to book a place if if you would like to attend.
Email: juliemarshall48@aol.com
A selection of minerals relating to Ancient Egyptian beliefs
