April 25 Update
- barlastoncommunity
- May 4
- 4 min read
The Barlaston Strollers and Striders have had typical April weather for the walks this month - we stayed local for our first walk, the Striders went to the Downs and the Strollers took a route along the canal and up Queen Mary’s Drive, stopping occasionally to admire the view (& take a rest!) before joining the others for refreshments at the Upper House. As we’ve said many times before – aren’t we lucky to have all this on our doorstep? The second walk to Sandon however was looking dodgy, and was very nearly cancelled after heavy rain was forecast! Luckily, although it was windy and rather chilly, the rain held off apart from a few spots, and we had a lovely walk up to Sandon Church across fields, through woods getting a glimpse of the bluebells. The beautiful views and seeing the spring lambs made up for the unpredictable weather plus we got a warm welcome from the staff at the Dog & Doublet and certainly appreciated the hot drinks!
If you’d like to join us we meet on the first & third Wednesday of every month at the Plume of Feathers carpark ready to walk at 10am. If you’d like to know more please give Sandie (Group Leader) a call on 07496 088544. May walks will be on the 7th and 21st of the month.
Gary and Kath Lloyd very kindly opened their garden to host a Drop-in Gardeners Social on Monday 7th April from 1 – 4pm during which time over forty people popped in for drinks and nibbles. We were also able to get a peep at Gary’s Bird of Paradise ready to flower – Fabulous!! It was non-stop and Gary & Kath were excellent hosts! There was more chat about opening gardens, plant swaps, plant sales and the opportunity to meet up with garden enthusiasts and learn from each other.
The group met up again on the 30th April in Barlaston Village Hall and Irene Moran gave a presentation confirming the Aims & Objectives of the group and gaining approval for various actions. Although there weren’t as many attendees as previously, there was excellent engagement and all the discussion points were firmed up. The start-up team consists of Gary Lloyd as Treasurer assisted by Elaine Boulton, and Pam Spruce as Group Organiser. Barlaston in Bloom was voted in as the name and Pam has already done a brilliant job of compiling names & numbers for the WhatsApp Group. What has been agreed from the first gathering is that it will be kept local, low key & friendly! So please don’t be deterred from volunteering to get involved! Also, remember you don’t have to join Facebook to keep up with what’s going on – just visit our Website and view it from there.
The Silver Surfers team have been busy helping residents with a variety of problems and we get excellent feedback on our friendly Tech Gurus. The team are on hand to help on the 2nd & 4th Thursday of each month from 10 -12 in the Ruth Dickson room at the rear of the Village Hall – the May dates being the 8th and 22nd.. There will be a break over the summer but you know how helpful they are so if you’re stuck, try giving them a ring – they regularly do house visits too!! Contact Steve on 07861 617932 or Tony on 07783 009194. You’ll get a cuppa & a biscuit when you visit and although the help is free, a donation is always appreciated!
Mandy The Wombling Angel has been busy litter-picking around the village as usual and this month all the Womblers turned their attention to the annual Great British Spring Clean (21st March to 6th April). During the campaign over 342,000 volunteers collected 462,410 bags of rubbish from all over the country. The Barlaston Womblers had pledged 25 bags and (rather sadly) we SMASHED this target with a total of 33 bags!! It wasn’t just litter-picking either – Parish Council Chair Sue Tudor and Irene Moran got stuck in giving the bus shelter and surroundings it’s annual deep clean! The tactile paving was also scraped and scrubbed to allow visually impaired individuals to recognise where the crossing is by Meadow Court. Fantastic job ladies and HUGE THANKS to all our dedicated Womblers who rise to the litter challenge EVERY week/month, not just for a national campaign!
We will be collaborating with the Parish Council to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day on Monday 5th May from 2 – 4pm in the Village Hall. It would be wonderful if residents could bring in items of memorabilia and we can share stories and enjoy a cuppa and a bit of a sing-song. This year the anniversary falls on a Thursday (May 8th) but celebrations nationally are happening on the Bank Holiday Monday. Please join us and we can come together to honour the service and sacrifice of all those who fought and supported the war effort. If you need a lift please contact Joe or Heather Poultney from the Barlaston Volunteers’ Car Scheme on 01782 354200 and they will be happy to help.
This month’s Photo Competition ‘Barlaston’s Furry & Feathered Residents’ was won by STEPH GREEN!! Voting went right to the wire with only one vote between Naima Meredith’s photo of cute lambs & Steph’s fantastically artistic photo of this Highland Cow. Thanks to all our entrants and we look forward to seeing All good fun and the photos were fabulous. Next month’s theme is ‘Hidden Talents’ – are you a yarn-bomber, a baker, a potter, a painter?? Whatever your talents we’d love you to share them – look out for the Entry post a few days before the end of the month. You can enter via our Page or the Community Hub – see details below.
Happy Heat-Wave May everyone!
Website: www.barlastoncommunity.wixsite.com
Комментарии