A Weekly Wildlife Wittering

Dear Civic Pride,

Hope that everyone remains in good health.

In last week’s Witterings I asked for your thoughts on litter during the continuing lockdown. From the excellent responses (thank you!) it is apparent there is a mix of positive and negative. With the population unable to socialise, less litter is gathering in the usual grot spots around town centres.

On the other hand it seems that rubbish is still being jettisoned from car windows at busy road junctions. With the local household waste and recycling facilities closed there is also increasing evidence of fly tipping in quieter locations. Civic Pride-rs know there will be work to do after social distancing measures are relaxed, and it isn’t just the litter we will be chasing…..

……Gardens. Our community gardens will obviously need some remedial work as the growing season gets into full stride. By the time volunteers are released into the wild, weeds will be smugly established exactly where we don’t want them to be. Don’t panic! We are blessed with some very experienced gardening volunteers, and given a little time and dedication, established gardens can be tidied up, pruned, nurtured and returned to their former glories.

Of course, North West Britain in Bloom remains firmly in our sights for 2021 and we’ll be hoping for new people to come and join us in our efforts to wow the RHS judges with our gardens, clean streets, community spirit and environmental awareness.

If you have any suggestions or ideas for a theme to represent our entry please do let us know, as it would be great to engage with the wider community post-pandemic, encouraging local schools, residents and businesses to get involved. Ideas so far include Save our Bees, and the chimneys of Rossendale’s industrial heritage. Have a think…!

We have all this to look forward to, but at the moment with CPR tools firmly down it’s understandable that volunteers, myself included, are missing the activities we took for granted as part of our regular routine. Volunteering gives us connections to people and to places, be that a regular litter picking walk through back streets and down to the river or meeting up with friends in one of our community gardens to tackle a new project.

Restrictions on our daily lives mean different things to each individual, and we are all adapting on a daily basis. Keeping in touch with others has become much more meaningful.  Is there another volunteer you’ve been meaning to contact but just not yet round to it?  Is now a good time?

Here at CPR back office we’re keeping the conversation going. The team managed to have a virtual meeting via a “unified communications platform” and although that sounds impressive it was somehow more representative of an episode of “Last of the Summer Wine” ….technology doesn’t suit all of us……. (A slight understatement!  Ed.)

On the website, as well as ‘Find Yourself in a Garden‘ (this week; planting for wildlife) there is now an exciting opportunity to send in photos of your own garden along with some written details, my garden is on there as an example. ‘It’s Your Garden’ will feature every week (you can remain incognito, if you prefer) and it’s just on the website not social media. Facebook and Instagram are currently displaying glorious pictures of our CPR gardens!

If you have children at home, or if you’re in virtual contact with grandchildren and are searching for new ideas then we are holding a Tallest Sunflower Competition for budding gardeners this summer. Please get the kids involved, seeds are easy to buy at supermarkets or online, and send us pictures of your growing success.

Finally, very best wishes, and thank you all for your ongoing support.

Please stay safe and happy.

Helen
Vice Chair CPR

The Communities Team at RBC and Rossendale Connected Hub are busy ensuring that Covidhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/389362468511320/-19 information is regularly updated and available online.

Rossendale Borough Council www.rossendale.gov.uk

Rossendale Connected www.rossendaleconnected.org  
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