August has been another busy month for the Friends of Waterloo Seafront Gardens. There were 12 of us at our Saturday session – 10 of us Litter Picked in and around the area of the children’s play park, the marina and Marine Gardens, and two of us went to tidy up the central bed in Adelaide Garden in preparation for judging as part of ‘Crosby and Waterloo in Bloom’.
At our (very hot) Tuesday session 4 of us worked on the walls on the bottom path of Crescent Garden, and at our Wednesday session 7 of us continued our work there, exposing crenulated brickwork that hasn’t seen the light of day for many years while others weeded and tidied the steps. At our Sunday session 7 of us worked on the stream area in Beach Lawn, cutting down invasive reeds and sycamore saplings.
Thanks to everyone who came to help with our Beach Lawn volunteer session on Sunday. We are trying our best to stop the reeds from overtaking the channels – which isn’t easy when they keep on growing and supergluing themselves to the floor! We are getting there though! Before and after photos below
For the second time, our group was given the opportunity to have a raised ‘community’ bed at the Southport Flower Show. Our theme this year was “Make a Metre Matter” and we were very pleased to receive a Silver Medal.
We were also pleased to receive a call from Freshfields Animal Rescue to say that the young hedgehog (we called him Cressy) that we’d found and taken to them in July, had grown and put on sufficient weight that he could now be released back into the Gardens. He was 450g, had doubled in weight, had no worms and had been educated about foraging for food at night and sleeping in the day! He was released at dusk one evening and once he’d woken up and realised where he was, scampered off into the undergrowth.
Do you remember the other month when we found baby hoglet Cressy out in the sun? Well here he is in his little box nest ready to be released back to the wild.
He has stayed with Freshfields rescue since we found him, been looked after, and has been given some hoglet training – like how to sleep and stay out of the sun by day, and only forage by night.
September will be another busy month for us – with our Autumn Festival being held on Saturday 19th September between 12.00 – 4.00pm in Marine Garden. There will be lots to see and do, so please do pass the word around and come and join us.
If you are able to help at all on the day, even if just for an hour, please let us know – we would be especially grateful for help from 10.00am with setting up, and again at 4.00pm to pack up.
Our regular sessions during September will take place on:
Tuesday 8th September – Garden Maintenance at 10.00am in Crescent Garden
Saturday 12th September – Litter Picking at 10.30am in Beach Lawn and
Wednesday 23rd September – Garden Maintenance at 1.00pm in Crescent Garden
As our Sunday session falls the day after the Autumn Fete, we have decided it will be a day of rest!
All equipment, and refreshments will be provided.
Best wishes,
Janet Markland
Friends of Waterloo Seafront Gardens