Dear Civic Pride,
Another week passes, and I do hope you are all keeping well.
As the UK lockdown continues with no definite end to social distancing responsibilities, our days of carefree CPR activities seem somewhat distant! So it’s been good to hear from volunteers about the positive effects of spending more time in your own gardens. There’s been a flurry of bird boxes, new hedgehog houses, bee friendly planting, vegetable sowing and much more. If you have planted Sunflowers, please send pictures of their progress as we wait to find out who can grow the tallest one!
To celebrate our Civic Pride horticultural skills, we are busy uploading your garden photos and written descriptions to our new It’s Your Garden page on the CPR website. It’s great to see your wonderful garden spaces, and there has been some lovely feedback and comments. If you would like to submit your own, then please email three or four pictures and a couple of paragraphs about your garden to [email protected] and we’ll get it on the website.
Meanwhile, a big thanks to our QT reporters, who on their daily walks observe that the amount of litter being dropped is generally low, although more dog owners than usual are neglecting to clean up after their beloved pets. Thankfully, the street rubbish bins remain unsealed and this has really helped keep litter off the pavements. Fly tipping is still occurring, and despite RBC lobbying Lancashire County Council to re-open the household waste sites, they are still closed at this present time.
If you see any evidence of fly tipping, then please go online to RBC’s website, rossendale.gov.uk and report it (it only takes a couple of minutes). The Council has assured us that they will collect any rubbish as soon as possible.
The sunny weather has been wonderful, but, to the relief of the CPR gardening team, rain is forecast for later this week. Considering how dry it’s been our gardens right across the Valley have coped extremely well. Spring bulbs continue to show off magnificently as the growing season picks up speed.
Thinking ahead to next year and Britain in Bloom, we are always delighted to receive your ideas for planting themes, community involvement and environmental issues. Also, if you have extra or spare plants, cuttings or seeds from your gardens this year please pot them up and save them for post-lockdown use in our CPR community gardens. This week’s website edition of Find Yourself in a Garden has tips on sowing and growing, so no excuses for not exercising those green thumbs.
Finally, our thoughts are with those who have been directly and tragically affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. We will pull together throughout this crisis and emerge even stronger than before.
Helen
Vice Chair CPR
ps We all want to get back to normal as soon as possible, but the latest Government advice remains to stay at home. Civic Pride will continue to follow Health recommendations and review the situation each day.
The Communities Team at RBC and Rossendale Connected Hub are busy ensuring that Covid-19 information is regularly updated and available online.
Rossendale Borough Council www.rossendale.gov.uk
Rossendale Connected www.rossendaleconnected.org
[email protected]
01706 227016 Lines are open every day 9am – 5pm
Healthy Rossendale Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/389362468511320/