Barrow in Bloom 2019

Groups with Horticultural Interests:

Barrow Gardening Club – Members of the Club maintain Jerusalem Island and support various events around the village throughout the year

Barrow Open Gardens – Raises funding throughout the year for a local hospice, Rainbows, by holding various events throughout the year, with the main event being Barrow Open Gardens in June every year.

Allotment Association – The Glebe allotments on Nottingham Road are the last remaining allotments in the Barrow parish.

Barrow Community Library Volunteers – the volunteers from the library, with support from BUSCA, maintain planters on North Street

Women’s Institute – Members of the WI maintain the Centenary Garden on Nottingham Road

Barrow Footpath Group – Cut back overgrowth from jitties around the village, and footpaths leading to nearby villages, throughout the year. The footpath Group also run litter picking events in the village in support of Keep Britain Tidy and the Great British Spring clean.

Parish Council owned land:

• King George V Playing Field
• Sensory Garden
• Mill Lane Playground
• Marans Twinning Garden
• Millennium Park
• The War Memorial
• The Cemetery
• Entrances to the Village

Other Community Groups

• BUSCA
• Barrow Gardening Club
• Barrow Open Gardens
• Allotment Association
• Barrow Community Library Volunteers
• Women's Institute
• Barrow Footpaths Group

REVIEW OF AREAS FOR DEVELOPMENT FROM JULY 18 JUDGES TOUR

Section A – Horticultural Achievement

• Planting of twinning beds – the French Roses were planted during the recent twinning visit
• Restoration of Memorial Gardens – this is underway with ongoing discussions with between land owners, the Parish Council and the Borough Council.
• Upkeep of KGV Sensory Gardens – a part time gardener has been appointed to maintain this area and other Parish Council owned areas around the village.
• Establish understanding of Local Authority maintenance regimes – discussions with the Borough Council have taken places throughout the year to better understand the timetable and level of support provided.
• Involve schools in Bloom – the local primary school has taken part in litter picking events and has its own Eco Warriors project. It is hoped this can be expanded in future years.
• Consider drought tolerant sustainable planting – the Parish Council has appointed a part time gardener to help advise on more suitable planting in Parish Owned areas.  This advice can then be made available to other groups in the village.

Section B – Environmental Responsibility

• More recycling initiatives – investigate the possibility of recycling garden pots, and providing community composting areas. Promote recycling of coffee grounds from local cafes. Support the local Co-Op and its recycling efforts.
• Utilise corners of recreations grounds as managed conservation areas – the Parish Council has contacted the Borough Environmental Officer to arrange a visit to the village to look provide support and advice.
• Wildflower Meadow on Millennium Park – as above
• Remove street weeds prior to judging tour – the Borough Council, Parish Council and Barrow Footpaths Group have assisted with removing weeds, leaf debris and overgrowth from the judging route.

Section C – Community Participation

• Involve a wider selection of the Community in the project and presentation – it is planned to start the Bloom plans for next year by September to allow the event to be planned into village events for all groups involved.
• High Street Planters could be sponsored by local businesses – local businesses and public houses will be contacted at an early stage in future plans to confirm their level of interest and  involvement
• Show Open Gardens in the Portfolio next time – Open gardens has been included in the portfolio and is part of this year’s judge’s tour. Discussions for future year’s level of involvement will soon start.
• Consider bringing a Bloom Committee together – meetings will start to gauge interest for next year soon.

DETAILS OF 2019/20 PLANS:

1. Involve the horticultural groups in the village at a much earlier stage – ideally this will start before September when a Bloom Committee is formed.
2. Involve the businesses along the High street in the planning for future Village Bloom events.  Investigate the possibility of businesses sponsoring beds and/or planters around the village.
3. Involve the public houses in the village in the planning for future Village Bloom events, perhaps holding a Best Garden Pub in the Village event.
4. New Street to Highfields Jitty – in October the village Footpaths Group will re-locate the shrubs taken from Jerusalem Island into this area, and investigate getting some insect loving wild flower planting put in.
5. Co-Op recycling plans:  In April, the manager of the Co-op applied to be a TerraCycle Hub. TerraCycle offers free recycling programmes funding by retailers and manufacturers to help collect and recycle hard-to-recycle waste. We await the decision to confirm if Barrow Co-op is accepted as a new hub.
6. Memorial Gardens (Gardens of Rest) – once agreements are in place with all parties, it is hoped to begin the process of clearing the old rose beds and borders, and improve the condition of the benches.
7. King George V Park – to plant a ‘Daffodil trail’ alongside one of the current paths with school/youth involvement. To install Leaf Compost bins under trees at the top entrance.
8. Hall Orchard School Eco Warriors – involve this group in other projects around the village, such as helping to plant the daffodil trail.
9. Run various village Workshops such as caring for Hedgehogs including making a Hedgehog house, or making a planter/hanging basket

AREAS FOR FUTURE CONSIDERATION:

These are some of the ideas that have been raised for future consideration and depend largely on funding requirements, time constraints, community involvement and suitability.

1. Investigate the purchase and installation of additional Water barrels for council owned planters/beds within the village.
2. Millennium Park to have an area of Meadow Grass planted.
3. Village Entrance areas – planting of small sustainable native shrubs, bulbs, and perennial/herbaceous plants
4. Extra bins around village – this will need consultation with residents to confirm what locations are requested to reduce littering in the village
5. Willow Road – field Community orchard, meadow walk
6. Mill Lane – new gravel path
7. Proctors Park entrance and garden area alongside
8. Master Composter in the village – can we get a few workshops
9. Bee Keeping – can we get a lecture?

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