Sub-zero to sizzling summer

In what seems like the blink of an eye we’ve hurled from what felt like the depths of winter in spring to midsummer, and it’s amazing how much has been happening with our community gardening project on Clapham Common in that time…

 

Over the past few months about 25 of our members have been pitching up each week to work in the garden preparing the ground and sowing seeds ready for the growing season.

 

 

Workshops

 

At the start of the growing season we held a session on square foot gardening, making the most of your growing space however small. This was well attended and people were full of ideas to try out at home.

 

 

Back in April we also worked with Groundwork on a series of Small Change Big Difference workshops, looking at ways of eating sustainably and healthily, reducing food waste and saving money. These workshops proved to be very popular and are something we hope to do more of in the future.

 

 

In June, Hannah Norman joined us again to run another Know You Pollinators workshop. We learnt ways of encouraging bees and other useful insects into our garden and built bug hotels and bee houses to provide habitat for these creatures to hibernate in over winter.

Know your pollinators workshop

Since the spring we have been working with The Spinney and CCMAC on a project to create wildflower haven on Clapham Common. Digging and planting for this year is now complete and the flowers are a feast for the eye – and full of bees and butterflies.

 

 

There will be celebration picnic on Friday 27 July from 4pm to pm to celebrate National Park City Week.

 

 

Events & Activities

 

We are now running regular weekly Keep Growing gardening sessions for people aged 55+. So if you fancy getting outdoors and pottering in our garden, or just want to join us for tea and cake, come and see on Mondays between 2pm and 4pm.

 

Again, working with CCMAC, we organised the annual Common People event which kicked off this year’s summer concerts on Clapham Bandstand, with acts including a choir, BAC’s Beetbox Academy, and Swing Patrol.

 

 

Around the bandstand there were community stalls including our own selling lots of plants and produce grown in our garden and cakes baked for our Bandstand Beds Bake Off.

 

More information about Bandstand Beds events can be found here.

 

 

21 June not only marked summer solstice but also a significant moment for BBA. Diana Linskey has been with Bandstand Beds since it began in 2013, but she has now decided it is time to move on and has stood down as treasurer.

 

At a meeting held in the garden Jo (Joanne) Yeomans was elected as the new BBA treasurer

 

The meeting was followed by a celebration picnic to say goodbye to Diana.

 

 

 

Our garden is open…

 

Saturdays

We are a fun group of people who meet to garden between 10am and 1pm with tea and cake at around 11.30.  There is a table at our main gate with freshly harvested produce which is available to the public. Some Saturdays we also hold a laidback lunch or bring and share picnic.

 

Keep Growing Mondays

A gardening session for the over 55s. A chance to get outdoors in the garden, relax and meet people.

 

Wednesday evenings

During the summer months we meet on a Wednesday evening from 6pm until around 7.30pm to garden and harvest veg.

 

 

If you would like to become a member of Bandstand Beds you can join here.

 

For more information email ccbandstandbeds@gmail.com