Our intrepid volunteers gathered again for our April session, when it felt like Spring had finally actually sprung! We had a great morning in the fine weather, and managed to accomplish quite a lot on our new and ongoing projects.
We had been waiting for more temperate weather to continue our ongoing restoration of Rochester Pier with some repainting, but owing to a necessary temporary closure of the pier, we instead took the first steps in another major project, as well as adding some new plants to the Suffrage Sensory Garden and carrying out our usual litter picking activity around the Esplanade Gardens. We also met and spoke to some of the many visitors who were out and about enjoying Rochester in the sunshine.
Suffrage Sensory Garden
Last month, we removed a bay tree that was getting a little out of control, leaving a space ready to be replanted this time around. In keeping with the theme of the Sensory Garden, we chose plants that provide a variety of scents as well as being visually appealing, which were supplied by our friends at Rumwood Nurseries. New additions include chives, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, thyme, two kinds of sage and two kinds of lavender; we also planted nine beautiful Macmillan Nurse shrub roses. As always, we carried out some weeding, and put down bark mulch to prevent unwanted growth and help the soil to retain moisture and nutrition for longer.
Read more about the Suffrage Sensory Garden
Hedgerows
We're excited to have made a start on our major new Hedgerows project, a long term initiative to create and restore traditional hedges using native species, which as well as being beautiful, provide food and habitats for birds and small mammals. This month, we removed one or two dead shrubs from the area by the border fence of Hathaway Court, where we look forward to starting our first new hedge in the future.
Find out more about our Hedgerows Project
Litter Picking
As usual, a number of our volunteers took up their trusty pickers and bag hoops to tackle the litter floating around the gardens. Litter picking is a regular activity and ongoing project of ours, including tackling the flotsam and jetsam that gathers upon the river foreshore when the tide allows. We'll be devoting a whole session to litter picking on Saturday 19th April a little upriver around the Medway Towns Rowing Club site: why not join us?
Read more about Litter Picking
Signage
We had noticed the loss of some signage from the riverfront which gave information about contacting The Samaritans for people in crisis, so we contacted them to obtain new boards to continue this important function. They were really helpful and provided the new signs very quickly, and so we were able to put up one of them at this session; the other will be placed on the pier once the new paint has been applied to the railings.
As always, we're really grateful to everyone who gave us a little of their time to make a difference to the cherished green spaces and historic landmarks we care for. If you'd like to get involved, you can find out about our upcoming volunteer sessions or read more about all of our projects.