March 2025 Update

Spring has officially sprung!!  And what better way to welcome the better weather than a Gardeners Social??  Around 40 gardeners attended the evening get-together on the 5th March with some great ideas for the future being shared.  There is obviously a strong interest & enthusiasm for regular gatherings, with a common thread of keeping it local & low key.  Our hope is that the group will evolve organically supported by the Barlaston Community Group but self-sufficient in terms of organisation.  The Hero of the night was Gary Lloyd, (Parish Councillor, Treasurer of the Village Hall Committee, ex maths teacher, experienced gardener & handyman to name but a few of his skills!) who will oversee the pay as you go system for the get-togethers!  There was a warm welcome for those that wanted to open their garden, and plenty of offers of help.  It was agreed that gardens would be able to open at a time to suit the gardener.  Many gardens are seasonal and at their best at different times of the year, so it will be much more interesting to have a spread of gardens opening at different times over the summer. This is a great way to start the group & the village will benefit with lots of gardens to visit🌼🌸🌻 

The other main areas of interest were trips to RHS Gardens / National Garden Schemes / Flower shows etc., as well as plant swaps & sales & opportunities to learn from each other - Exciting times!  Gary & Kath will be opening their garden for a Drop-In Gardeners’ Social on Monday 7th April from 1 – 4pm when we’ll be having more conversations about ‘next steps’ and which gardens will be opening and when.  The next gathering will be on the 30th April, in Barlaston Village Hall from 6.30pm – 8.00pm.  There will be a £2 charge to cover hall hire & tea/coffee and if you’d like a glass of wine BYOB please😁🍷  Look out for further updates on village noticeboards, our Facebook Page and the Barlaston Community Hub.

 Film Night on Saturday 29th March we showed Paddington in Peru.  As always, there was a lovely atmosphere in the village hall and lots of laughter and chatting.  Thanks to our wonderful team of volunteers and of course to our loyal audience who are always willing to help tidy up at the end!  The next Film Night is on the 19th July, so put the date in your diary and keep a look out for the film choice!

The Barlaston Strollers and Striders have also benefitted from the better weather and we kept local for our first March walk.  The bottom footpath to the Downs past the Upper House hotel had dried out sufficiently for us to get through the fields and we separated into two groups at a pace to improve our strength, stamina, suppleness & sociability – there are sooooo many benefits to a good walk!!  On that occasion we returned to the village hall for refreshments, including ‘homemade’ lemon drizzle & a chocolate cake… ahem, it was noticed that the cakes were also wrapped in ‘not so homemade’ cellophane – sorry Michala, you were rumbled!!  We returned to Hanchurch for the second walk and we’ve had lots of lovely comments about this one and the photos demonstrate what a wonderful time was had by all!!  Remember you can see all the photos on Facebook and via our website, details below. 

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 and if you’d like to know more please give Sandie (Group Leader) a call on 07496 088544.  April walks will be on the 2nd and 16th of the month.

If you’ve been struggling with backing up your computer, organising your photos or try to get to grips with WhatsApp, why not make an appointment with the Silver Surfers team?  The friendly Tech Gurus are on hand to help on the 2nd & 4th Thursday from 10 -12 in the Ruth Dickson room at the rear of the Village Hall.  They are very in demand though, so it’s best to make a half-hour appointment in advance.  Contact Steve on 07861 617932 or Tony on 07783 009194.  Sarah and Andrew will usually also be on hand; Sarah’s a wiz with phones and ipads and Andrew is great with websites and general information.  You’ll get a cuppa & a biscuit, the help is FREE but a donation is always appreciated!  The Team will be in residence on April 10th but not the 24th.

There was a fantastic turnout for Barlaston Womblers’ VERGE PURGE and 21 green bags were filled on Saturday (8th) morning!  The Verge Purge is now an annual event – it’s a Dangerous, Disgusting, but somehow Delightful experience as you look back and see what a fantastic difference has been made!! Huge thanks to all our WONDERFUL WOMBLERS and to the Country Cabin for hosting us.  As well as the Group Pick turnout, we must also acknowledge the regular womblers including Mandy the Wombling Angel, Suzi and Sam who had a massive blitz around the Downs Banks carpark & Washdale Lane and David Norman who spends hours keeping Barlaston Road and the lanes around Cocknage tidy and litter-free.  We were also joined by our latest Duke of Edinburgh volunteer, Amelia who certainly dived in at the deep end with the Blurton Rd Blitzing!!  HUGE THANKS to one and all!!! 

All the Womblers have now turned their attention to the annual Great British Spring Clean (21st March to 6th April) and we have pledged 25 bags.  Sadly we’re confident of achieving this target.  We are also in discussion with the Trentham Womblers to support the Stoke 100 initiative (Stoke on Trent was given ‘City’ status 100 years ago on June 5th) by volunteering to do a litter-pick along Stanley Mathews Way! 

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Collaborating with the Parish Council we will be celebrating 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. 

Congratulations to Lisa Boyd – winner of the March photo competition ‘Springtime’.  Her fun photo captured some of Barlaston residents’ favourite things – dogs, flowers & a lake!  The theme for next month is ‘OUR FURRY & FEATHERED RESIDENTS’ and we look forward to seeing photos of peoples pets, farm animals and maybe wildlife in Barlaston.  Look out for notifications on Facebook a few days before the end of the month – it’s a bit of fun with the FB community voting for the winner and we always get a fantastic selection of photos to choose from!

The clocks have sprung forward and it is now officially Spring – happy April everyone!