For any small volunteer-led community group the past two years have been a challenge, yet we still managed to do so much. We managed to maintain our lovely little planted areas, we had two Lantern Parades and supported the mutual aid effort in the area. We couldn’t have done this without some amazing support: from our Committee, from people who came to help us at our socially distanced planting sessions, to helpers at our lantern parade, amazing artists like Caroline Daly, Venessa Scott and Rob Evans, wonderful collaborators like Gorse Hill Studios, supportive councillors Laurence and Mike and people like Claire from Aldi who worked with colleagues to have plants donated that would otherwise have been thrown away. In addition, all the businesses and local people who donated prizes or presents and food to our last two Lantern Parades.
So as you can see, it really does take a village to achieve big things and in typical Gorgeous Gorse Hill style we’re not resting on our laurels; we’ve started our year off by tackling our five sites – Pocket Paradise, the Planters on Taylor’s Rd & Thomas St, our Avondale Rd (Incredible Edible style) Planters and our Lavender Planter by the Bishop Blaize – these alone could fill a year. Weeding, tidying, litter picking, planting, they are simple areas but bring great joy and in the case of the Avondale Planters fruit and vegetables that people can help themselves to.
But we’re not stopping there, along with Gorse Hill Studios and our exciting new partner: Roots and Shoots from Gorse Hill Allotments we’re holding a Spring Fair on the 14th May. There’ll be the usual cakes, drinks, books and plants for sale as well as fun activities for the kids and adults alike.
Then the cherry on the cake! The lantern parade will be back this year, we don’t have a date yet – we have to wait for our pesky neighbours to announce their 22/23 season home games, but we’ll be announcing it as soon as we can.
So, as you can see, we’ve done a lot and we have a lot planned. And this is where we come back to friends. We’ve never been able to achieve what we’ve done without help, although we’ve had a lot of help over the last two years it hasn’t really been enough. Volunteers have been a bit scarce, but, we’re sure that lots of residents are just waiting for the right opportunities so could you help:
Organise and deliver the lantern parade?
Help bake or staff a stall at the Spring Fair?
Help at one of our activity days planting, weeding and making our area more gorgeous?
Donate plants and bulbs?
Or possibly join our Committee to write funding bids, do social media or a whole raft of other things that often one or two of us struggle to fit in.
If you’d like to get involved sign up to our mailing list by emailing gorgeousgorsehill@gmail.com telling us how you’d like to help and we’ll get in touch.
Many of us joined Gorgeous Gorse Hill as strangers and we’ve now become good friends. We really do get by with a little help from our friends.
