Lymington Garden Share Scheme Celebrates 1st Anniversary

This month the Lymington Garden Share community enterprise celebrates its first anniversary. This local scheme was set up a year ago by Transition Lymington to bring together people who want to grow vegetables with people who have land that they want to see put to good use.

In early 2011, Chris Long of Daniells Walk, Lymington saw Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall championing a similar scheme on television and decided to get in touch with Lymington Garden Share. “I’d been thinking about something like this for years, because I didn’t want to do the garden any more, and thought it was a real shame that it wasn’t being used”. A grower was found for Chris’s garden, and the Fender family (Josephine, Rob, Lauren (8) and Katie (6)) soon began work preparing the plot. Josephine told us, “I’ve always wanted to grow vegetables and now I can, without having to buy a house with a big garden!”

Throughout the year the garden has flourished, producing a wide range of fresh vegetables which Chris and the Fenders have shared. “This is a learning curve for me, as I’ve never grown veg on this scale before, being more used to just tomatoes in pots”, said Josephine. As well as the horticultural benefits of such a collaboration Chris also told us, “It’s nice to have people around, and I enjoy talking to the kids”. Next year there are ambitious plans for a second bed to be filled with fruit bushes, but we are assured that this won’t compromise the provision of Katie’s favourite vegetable: the radish.

The Lymington Garden Share has been expanding steadily throughout the year and there are currently seven gardens in the area available for gardeners. With spring just around the corner, if you are interested in taking part in this excellent scheme (as a garden owner or gardener) please contact Emily and Rachel on lymingtongardenshare@gmail.com for further information or phone 675612.

Do you have an unused corner of your garden, that you would be happy to share with a grower?

Would you like your plot used to grow vegetables, fruits, flowers and even friendships?

What could you get out of this?
- A share of the produce
- The pleasure of seeing your plot develop
- Being part of a sharing initiative
- A sense of community

This service matches and introduces committed, enthusiastic and respectful growers with local garden owners who want to see their gardens being used more productively across the SO41 area.

For more information please contact Emily on 01590 675612 or Rachel on 01590 683558.

Well, I am now having a bit of a rest after a very full and fulfilling fortnight. I am one of the choristers at St. Thomas' and I thought you should all know the fun we have had during this festive season.

As those of you who attend St. Thomas' regularly know the choir usually sing at least one anthem a week. Well on the Sunday before Christmas we sang over 7 anthems in one day!

Apart from the usual services we also had the Christmas Carol Service of readings and music, Midnight Mass and the Christmas Day service, singing at various nursing homes and the local hospital and raising money at 'The Fishermans rest'.

The start of our Christmas fun was when we were invited to Daphne (alto) and Ivor Johnston's for a party. Food and laughter were in abbundance. Some of the junior chorister became part-time waiters and the evening ended with a choir practiice at the house where regular choristers were joined by their partners and parents in singing. Grateful thnks goes to Ivor and Daphne for allowing an ever expanding choir to take over the house for the evening.

Simon Daish started off the annual carol service with the first verse of 'Once in Royal David's City'. In between lessons the choir, ably led by Fern (former organ scolar) and Martin Penrose (Musical Director of St. Thomas'), sang a variety of new and well known anthems. Itwas nice to see back in the choir Tom (former organ scholar on university hols) and Kathy (a rare day off for a manager of a shop)

Some chorister then spent Christmas week singing at various nursing homes in Lymington which culminated in a group meeting and spending an enjoyable two hours singing in various wards and the outpatients department at Lymington Hospital.

Midnight mass and Christmas Day services were tiring but enjoyable and many of us returned to sing for all services on the Sunday after Christmas.

The next Choir practice is on Friday 2nd January - what do they say about no rest for the wicked! - where new members are always welcome. At present we are on the lookout for sopranos and junior choir members although other voices will of course be always welcome.

A Chorister