St. Issey in Bloom Community Portfolio 2016
Introduction St. Issey in Bloom was originally devised in August 2010 by Brenda Wright and Chris Ivins as a fundraising platform to improve the overall appearance of the village and to promote community involvement by supporting other village charities. This was - for the main part as a response to the decline of the village: St. Issey had lost its Post Office, shops and garage and the community had become fragmented, with neighbours 'losing touch' with each other. The only places that remained for community / social interaction were the Village Pub, the Church and the Village Hall. The Ring o' Bells Village Inn - It's Your Neighbourhood Entry and HOME to the BLOOM! This is where it all started, back on August 10th 2010, with an Open Day inviting all of the community to come along to see our plans and ideas - and - to see if they approved of us setting up a BLOOM group. Over 100 people came through the doors. Christmas 2010 saw the first Christmas Tree the village had ever had. By February 2011, donations from the community had reached the grand total of 4,500. This money was used to make a statement within the heart of the village: the building of three raised walled flower beds, using locally sourced materials. The Ring o' Bells remains our main venue for fund raising events. We also have a permanent information corner within the lounge area, making this an informative and interesting focal point for locals and visitors alike. Please see the beginning of the Appendices for more detailed information about the rationale behind St. Issey in Bloom and the village's history and geography.
Autumn Preparations for 2016 The Autumn of 2015 was a very busy time for the Bloom Team, clearing away lots of rubbish from areas that have been neglected. We required permission from Cornwall County Council and the Diocese to develop several grass verges around the village into educational wildlife / green spaces. This took a lot of our time, but was well rewarded with the help from our sponsors and from the grants that we received. The children's Playpark (above) and the bordering wild area (below) before some of the well needed TLC and maintenance was put in place! These photographs show some of the neglected areas as they were in the Autumn of 2015. However, the Spring and Summer of 2016 photographs display how these educational green spaces are improving as they continue to develop.
During the Autumn of 2015, the Bloom group had talks with the Playpark committee, offering to work with them in revamping the Playpark. The Playpark committee did a lot of work to obtain grants to get the park open again - unfortunately it had been closed down for safety reasons. The Bloom group offered to work on the grass verges surrounding the park - it was agreed and we were very excited when we could go ahead. The photographs show the areas that we have cleared in preparation for the next phase. We want the Playpark to be mirrored with vibrant wildlife and wildflowers; something that will be simple, yet striking, interesting and educational. This is part of a two year project which we hope to complete in the Spring of 2017 (please see our Forward Planning section).
Winter Christmas Events & Preparations Breakfast with Santa For the last three years we have served breakfast - followed by a visit to Father Christmas in his grotto - for all the children in the village to say Thank You! for being part of St. Issey in Bloom. 2015 Lighting of the Christmas Tree, followed by carols with mulled wine and mince pies. Helping us to light the Christmas Tree were our two youngest Bloomers. Father Christmas arriving at our Annual Christmas Bazaar. The Bazaar, organized by St. Issey in Bloom, gives all of our local organisations the opportunity to raise funds for good causes.
The Celtic Cross, now five years old, suffered this year, from the strong winds we experienced. Our Sculptor - Emma Scott - repairing The Celtic Cross at the village withy pool. The Celtic Cross is now back in place at the School Island (please see front cover). Winter Hares: Our green spaces must be pretty and be purposeful - they should please our eyes, entertain us, raise questions, take us places and educate.
Preparing the Lost the Plot allotments for the forthcoming year... a busy time in the cold! Lost the Plot Allotments - It's your Neighbourhood - group have achieved the OUTSTANDING award for the past five years. Consisting of only five small allotments, it's amazing what can be achieved in such a small space. Supplying vegetables and flowers for the church and the community, they make a good cup of tea and fruit cake in their 'Potting Shed'!
Spring Easter Events Butterfly Corner: We want the excitement and vibrancy of the playpark to be complemented with an area dedicated to Wildlife and Wildflowers. This will give the children a space that is educational - fostering a sense of exploration and investigation in these enchanted, magical places. By selecting a wide variety of plants, we hope to create an area that is attractive to Butterflies, pollinating insects and other minibeasts. Reclaiming space and clearing the way for our Butterfly Corner project (left) - sponsored by Trenouth Solar Farm Community Trust. Spring Flower Show: St. Issey in Bloom in conjunction with the Church arranged this event, bringing all the community together. Afternoon tea was served and a lovely day was had by all. Great fun at our Easter Bazaar, raising funds for our summer planting. The children enjoyed the Easter Bonnet Parade!
Our Christmas and Easter Bazaars are now very popular with the local communities and stall owners. We now have people coming from all over Cornwall, wanting a stall for the day. The sellers come from as far afield as The Lizard, Camborne and Launceston in addition to the local craft clubs. This year (2016), St. Issey in Bloom raised 385.00 from the Raffle and the entrance fee, which was used to repair our beloved Celtic Cross. In addition to this, a 50.00 donation was given to the Playpark to re-stain the benches.
as Spring moves into Summer. New growth...
Summer The Willow Square The Willow Square at Sentry Close: One of this year's new projects was taken on by the Lost the Plot Allotments group as one of our It's Your Neighbourhood entries. This year, the Royal Horticultural Society / Britain in Bloom launch will focus on gardening for health and wellbeing - this is part of our "Willow Square" project. The RHS are giving us hands on support and funding!
Some of the vibrant, colourful displays from the allotments and around the village.
Forward Planning The Community Plan 2016 / 2017 The Phone Box Wildlife Information Centre The old phone box - near the bus stop on the main road through the village - has been purchased by the community in conjunction with the Parish Council with a view of turning it into a Wildlife Information Centre. The structure will retain its historic exterior, but the interior will be repurposed into a information and wildlife data collection point for visitors and community members alike (see appendices pieces St. Issey Wildlife and St. Issey Wildlife News). Working with the School and Playpark After the school Summer holidays, our Church of England Primary School will be reopening as a newly structured academy. The Bloom group is looking forward to working with the School and the Playpark committee, with a view to linking both of the settings with a small bridge footpath that will also incorparate a mini fruit orchard creating a resonance with our project for educational wildlife / wildflower areas. It is anticipated that this should be completed in Spring 2017. The Willow Square The Willow Square is a revamp of an existing seating area within Sentry Close. Because this area is mainly for the older people within our community, we wanted it to become a meeting point for a chat or simply a relaxing, quiet spot. In order to undertake this task, we had to obtain permission from Cornwall County Council (this is controlled by the Housing Department). The square at Sentry Close as it was... We then had a meeting with Esther Townrow (Housing Management Officer) in February 2016, who was very happy with our plans, and agreed we could go ahead - provided that all of the residents within the Square approved.
We arranged a coffee morning in the Church Rooms and an afternoon tea for those who could not attend the morning presentation, so that everyone could see the plans. All of the residents approved our ideas and have watched the plan's ongoing progress over the last few months. It is now a Social Square, with the herb section currently being the most appreciated, as all of the residents can come along and help themselves to the produce. Many of the village's children who walk to school pass this area and have watched the Willow Square develop with great interest and enthusiasm. A cup of tea helps... In addition to our efforts in Sentry Close, we are now creating a feature in Willow Square out of some living willow Harlequin trees. The willow is harvested and prepared for weaving down at the village withypool. in case it rains, take cover!
Preparing for weaving at the village withypool.
Keeping the Village in Bloom! The 'St. Issey Watering Regime': Residents from around the village have taken on the responsibility of watering the floral displays near their homes... they state that this is their sponsorship! Many thanks to... Stephanie Prees: the Church pedestals (please see page 7, centre) David and Joy O'Haligan: flower beds (please see page 11, bottom ) Tony and Teresa Smith: flower beds (please see page 1, top) At our Lost the Plot Allotment, water is collected in large water butts, harvested from the nearby garage roofs. The butts were purchased at an agricultural auction - at a very reasonable price! (please see page 6) Last year, we introduced an Irrigation System at the Ring o' Bells Village Inn (please see page 1, bottom) and at the Village Hall. Special thanks must also go to all of the residents who maintain their own displays throughout the year it is greatly appreciated!
Our Sponsors Thank you to Mr. Richard Barrett for the top soil donated. St. Issey Church: Thank you for all the support you give us. A very big 'Thank You!' to the members of the community for donating the wonderful grasses and fushia shrubs for our shrubbery. Tesco's Bag Scheme awarded the Playpark committee 12,000 to replace broken equipment and revamp the Playpark. The second phase of our 2/3 year plan Growing Wild- Play Spaces is now taking shape, with thanks to the grant of 2,765 recieved from the Big Lottery Fund. Sentry Close Raised Bed sponsored by Mr. Roger Cowling Landscape Gardens - Telephone 01841 540383 Dulux Paint donated 500 of Paint in their "Colour Britain" campaign. Village Hanging Baskets sponsored by: Mr. Donald Weeks, Estate Agent - Telephone 01637 880525 Thank you to Mr. Roger Finch for donating the child's bicycle as our main raffle prize at the Christmas Bazaar. Kernow Fires & Tesco of Wadebridge A downloadable PDF of this year's portfolio and further information can be found on the St. Issey in Bloom website: http://www.stisseyinbloom2012.weebly.com/
Appendices