After the success of the 2018 autumn/winter Saturday volunteer programme, FOHP is running it again.
Caring for Hamworthy Park is our primary goal. But our constitution also states that we should seek to look after and improve other Hamworthy green space.
Working with community groups
With this in mind, we have organised litter picks in the wider Hamworthy area together with as many other community groups as possible.
Our hope is that this will lead to new friends groups for other Hamworthy greenspace that we can share our skills with. The more green space that is cared for by volunteers, the better. This is because it gives local people a say in how these spaces are managed and maintained – preserving them for future generations.
Areas we have litter picked
– St Michaels Churchyard and Cobbs lane – together with St Michael’s Church
– The flower beds outside McColl’s, the area around the Adam Practice, Dentist, and along Blandford Road.
– Rigler Road
– Hamworthy Recreation Ground
– Tuckers’ field, the area outside the library and along Blandford Road
– Ham Common – together with Poole Heathlands
– Bluebell Woods – together with 1st Hamworthy Cubs
Sucess in Bluebell Woods
The biggest success has been the creation of the “Bluebell Woods and Community Garden” group led by St Michaels Church. A chance conversation between the Vicar and one of our Trustees led to us supporting this fledgling group. We helped the project with contacts at the Council and Dorset Wildlife Trust, funding knowledge, and project planning.
The project has now been accepted on the Dorset Wildlife Trust’s “Urban Green” project. It aims to bring the 2 acres of woodland behind St Michael’s back into community use.
This is a great example of how we can work together with other groups to care for and preserve Hamworthy’s green spaces.
Success – Hamworthy in Bloom
Another success has been the replanting and repainting of the planters along Blandford Road. Ultimately, the wooden ones will need replacing. But in the meantime, we’ve given them a lick of paint and planted them up to look stunning! The flower bed outside McColls is a work in progress.
This year’s programme
We have spoken with Council officers and Councillors about potential improvements to Tuckers field – watch this space!
And we’ve got dates for these litter picks up to Christmas:
- Saturday, 5th October – Bluebell woods, St Michael’s Church
- Saturday, 16th November – Turlin Moor
- Saturday, 14th December – Hoyal Road zigzag and Carisbrooke play area
We are happy to take suggestions on places to pick in the new year.
Less litter
The really good news is that at many of the sites there is now much less litter to pick up. This is because we have removed the historic litter and organised regular picks. It is heartening to see that local volunteers can make such a big difference and that regularly clearing an area means less litter gets dropped overall.
Our autumn and winter programme is the perfect way to get involved in caring for your local green spaces – and you can just turn up!
How can I join in?
If you’d like to join in one of our litter picks, we advertise the time and dates on both our website and Facebook page – just come along and lend a hand!
If you are part of a community group and would like to work together on one of these picks, just get in touch and we’ll take it from there.
You can make a difference, so what’s stopping you?