Photos of Great Gidding from the air.
Jubilee Wood and allotments
Jubilee Wood, allotments and Main Street
Main Street crossroads
Chapel End
Main Street and Jubilee Wood
Photos: Paul Crank
For three consecutive Saturday mornings in November a team of volunteers have been trimming the sides of the main path in the Jubilee Wood, primarily to cut back bramble which was encroaching on to the path way. A fourth Saturday trimming morning is scheduled for the 6th of December. If you want to join in then its a 10am start, bring some stout gloves and some tree loppers or secateurs. We will be concentrating on the boundary hedge between the Wood and the Allotments next time. But in the meantime, thank you to those who have already volunteered their time.
Jubilee Wood
Winter maintenance
The Jubilee Wood is in need of some ground maintenance. The area to the right of the main entrance is encroaching onto the grass ride. A five metre band from the entrance to the central grass area needs to be cleared, leaving just the planted trees.
You will need to bring loppers, shears, pruning saws and stout gloves or whatever you have in your garden maintenance armoury.
This work will commence from Saturday 15th November and for the following 3 Saturday’s starting at 10am for a couple of hours or however long you can give. I’m sure we can arrange a coffee break for 11am
Michael
The time lapse camera crew have been out and about again.
The latest video is of dawn breaking over the Jubilee Wood in Great Gidding on Saturday 21st June 2014. The camera was set to record from first light which occurred at around 3.50 am. The street lights on Main Street are on. The camera ran until 8 am.
Things to look out for include an early bird, Swallows swooping over the pond at about 7. 25 am, a Magpie and a couple of Corvids (Crows or Rooks) having a splash and a Rabbit.
The Camera used is a Brinnio BCC 100 and was set to record a photo every second.
Social media Pop up Picnic
For 10 solid years we have held a midsummer picnic in the Jubilee Wood come rain or shine and the abiding memory is rain and not much shine.
This year, 2014 rather than a fixed calendar date for the “Summer Picnic” we take a view on the weather and when it looks settled for a few days ahead everybody twitters, texts, emails or facebooks (not sure how to pluralise facebooking) for a particular day or evening.
Yes not everybody will be able to come, but that happens anyway. All you need is a picnic hamper ready to roll.
We will still aim for June but the exact day will have to be determined by http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/forecast/sawtry-cambridgeshire#?tab=regionalForecast&fcTime=1390089600 .
Comments please.
This year’s Green Heart Community Awards, backed by the News & Crier and organised by Huntingdonshire District Council, took place at the Burgess Hall in St Ives. Judges received more than 30 entries for six categories including: Best Primary School, Best Secondary School/College, Green Champion of the Year, Best Wildlife or Nature Initiative, Best Environmental Project and Best Business Environmental Project. The shortlisted nominees for each of the categories were invited to an evening dedicated to them and their hard work in helping to improve the environment of Huntingdonshire.
Great Gidding Parish Council nominated Michael Trolove for the Green Heart Community award and he came runner up at the awards ceremony held at the Burgess Hall on Saturday 15th June.
The Parish Council’s nomination:
Working with the Parish Council and the wildlife Trust, Michael Trolove has always been a valuable asset to the wildlife of Great Gidding.
In the last year Michael has dedicated a great deal of time to the renovation of two village ponds and installed a dipping platform. He has recently prepared a third pond in the Jubilee Wood and as a trained Newt Officer, Michael has also developed the Great Gidding Newt Trail; popular with villagers and visitors alike.
As a Tree Warden, Michael keeps a full list of trees on site and all of them have been given a numbered tag for identification. He has been in discussions with DEFRA concerning Ash Dieback Disease and spends much time planting trees around the Parish, organising a planting event and pop up coffee shop, enjoyed by all for the Diamond Jubilee.
Michael works hard on the maintenance of Jubilee Wood, monitoring, weeding, planting new trees and mulching and in the last year added some old varieties of fruit tree to the planting scheme, created log piles and built bug boxes to further encourage wildlife to the area.
Michael Trolove is instrumental in co-ordinating the upkeep of the Jubilee Woods, ponds in the area and all the trees in the Parish and demonstrates log-term commitment to protecting and improving open space within the village of Great Gidding.
Well done Michael. Very well deserved.
Michael Trolove – Runner-Up in the Huntingdon District Council Green Heart Community award
Its getting closer
May I draw your attention to the fact that the annual Midsummer Picnic held to celebrate the planting of the Jubilee Wood will reach its 10th gathering in June 2013.
Usual format, bring your own picnic and chat. There will be an unveiling or cutting of ribbon ceremony to celebrate 10 years of tree growth and picnicking in the coldest, wettest field in the parish.
From 4pm until the goose bumps appear (4:10pm)
The date of the picnic is Sunday June 23rd
A random selection of Mid Summer Picnic photographs from previous years.
Ash trees are under serious threat from a fungal disease that has spread to the UK from Continental Europe.
Chalara Fraxinea or Ash Die-back Disease has been noted in East Anglia and Scotland. If the disease takes hold as expert’s predict it will then it will be particularly devastating for our area as every third tree is an Ash.
It is important however to identify the disease accurately as many Ash trees are suffering the effect of last years drought and signs of dead branches can sometimes be attributed to natural die back or age.
To help you identify the disease correctly here is a direct link to the Forestry Commission
An interactive app called Ashtag is available free for both Android and iphone users to help you identify and report suspected Ash Dieback disease.
These are available for download at Google Play and the app store.
Update 1
Further information can be found at the Ash Tag website which includes an interactive map to show current geo photo reports.
Update 2
A picture of this diseased tree has been sent to the Forestry Commission via the University of East Anglia Ashtag app.
We are awaiting official confirmation that this tree has Chalara Fraxinea.
Update 3
Early December 2012 and a visit from fera (The Food and Environment Research Agency)to gain samples of potentially infected Ash trees.
Sunday June 24th started off in much the same vein as nearly all the previous days of the month, wet. The forecast was positive so the message went out that the picnic was on.
No sooner had electronic mail delivered the good news, the heavens opened and it chucked it down. Luckily by picnic time the sun had decided to shine. So the annual trudge to the Jubilee Wood with food and seating paid off. A grand gathering of villagers sitting in the sunshine getting trench foot but enjoying the conversation and the snail racing. Next year 2013 will be the 10th year of planting the Jubilee Wood so a special picnic is called for so I propose a 1pm start on Sunday June 23rd. The long term weather forecast is positive although it might rain.
Celebrating the Diamond Jubilee with a special tree planting ceremony
It seemed a good idea at the time, a coffee morning in the Jubilee Wood with a special tree to be planted in recognition of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration. Oh how it rained, the ground waterlogged, the long grass sopping wet but we are made of stern stuff in the Giddings and we didn’t let a major weather event dampen our fortitude (42mm of rain over Saturday night and all day Sunday)
To help us celebrate, our special guest Mr Neil McKittrick, a deputy Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire planted a tree, a Cratageus Prunifolia. This is an attractive Hawthorn that has good autumn colours and long lasting red berries that the birds will enjoy. The tree will remind all those who attended of the atrocious conditions and the absurdity of drinking coffee in the temporary visitor centre.
Special thanks.
A special thank you to Tony and Pat Scott for the suggestion of the tree and the link to our special guest. We know that Tony is not enjoying the best of health at the moment so we we wish him well for the future.
Thanks to all who supported the event and Rachel for coping with the coffee duties in trying conditions.
