Play Art and Environment, Connecting People Annual Report 2024-2025
Contents
| Contents | |
|---|---|
| Changes in PlayGROUND’s Circumstances | 3 |
| Soil Health | 5 |
| Produce | 7 |
| Maintaining and Developing the Garden | 12 |
2
Changes in PlayGROUND’s Circumstances
Due to the lack of ongoing project/core funding and organisational development when relying on small project grants, PlayGROUND decided to apply for medium term Lottery funding. We know that competition is tough, but due to a phone call, we are also aware that our application wasn’t comprehensively read before being presented to the initial panel.
The application’s failure to get through the first stage of the process and the procedure involved, led our artist/manager to reassess her role and due to necessity, find regular paid work. The lack of a fund raiser and project manager has had a huge impact on community engagement, and the future viability of PlayGROUND.
Maintenance and garden development is currently undertaken on a voluntary basis. Rich in biodiversity it provides much needed habitat to insects and wildlife. Its delightful features, flora, fauna, organic practice and produce, continue to contribute to the allotment and community well being.
Purple Globe Thistle (Echinops), sewn last year, attract solitary bees.
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Ragwort is allowed to flourish, the Cinnabar moth caterpillars (Tyria jacobaeae) rely on the plant as their primary food source. Visitors are informed of its toxicity.
4
Soil Health
Front board slots have been installed on the compost bins. The metre square plus of decomposing material generates and maintains enough internal heat to accelerate the decomposition process, killing pathogens and weed seeds.
Transferring the soil from one bin to another aerates the soil and presents another opportunity to slowly rid the garden of inherited detritus.
Bramble roots have mostly decomposed. At last! a ready supply of free compost.
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A mix of green manure, phacelia and will flowers cover soil to prevent moisture loss and boost fertility. Poly tunnel IBCs and shed water butts provided much needed water in an extremely dry summer.
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Produce
Taking care of the soil and intermittent nurturing gave rise to a huge range of produce. Berry and nut trees planted around the perimeter of the garden for wildlife and human consumption bore fruit/seeds. Cherry, apple trees and a variety of regular fruit bushes gave a bumper harvest as well as the lesser known, pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana), Chilean guava (Ugni molinae), Himalayan honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa) and cornelian cherry (Cornus mas).
We’re big fans of perennials that grow themselves i.e. chard, kale, rhubarb, globe artichoke, jerusalem artichoke, horseradish, fennel, sorrel, lovage, and a host of herbs. Some wander round the garden from year to year, it’s always a nice surprise to see an edible plant find a new location to thrive. Easy staples, onions, garlic, potatoes, beetroot, beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, crown prince and spaghetti squash, are grown between perennials and in the green house, along with aubergines, cucumbers and courgettes. Despite simple solutions to growing carrots in stony soil, we grow small quantities amongst other plants as they are a magnet for badgers on our site.
In the absence of creative projects, experimentation with new flower combinations feed interest and give rise to key features. Salix is harvested for structural supports, hazel planting requires a little more time.
Left - Perimeter planting sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) Right - Poly tunnel grown, pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana)
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jI'. Watermelon - Petit Gris de Rennes
Top left - sweet corn (Zea mays), top right - cornelian cherry (Cornus mas). bottom left - Yin Yang beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), bottom right - cobnuts (Corylus avellana).
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A bumper harvest of habaneros produced enough chillies to supply the neighbourhood for a year.
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Cosmos (above - Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Purity') are so easy to grow, and give a ready supply of cut flowers.
11
Maintaining and Developing the Garden
The garden will be maintained and developed by PlayGROUND’s founders for the foreseeable future, regardless of funding. Like all gardens its a work in progress with enormous potential. Apart from its commitment to sustainable, organic practise and impact on the Greenaleigh Road Allotment site, it receives regular visits from families and individuals who volunteered and attended courses.
Though the future of PlayGROUND is uncertain, the garden will continue to support interested growers/creatives, and contribute a wide variety of edibles, particularly appreciated by those on tight budgets.
| Name | Signature | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prepared by……………… | P. Crummay | P. Crummay | 18/02/2025 |
| Trustee approval…… |
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Annual Accounts April 2024 - 2025
| Date | Item | Income | Expenditure | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06/04/2025 | Balance carried over | 856 | ||
| 19/10/2024 | Greenaleigh Road AA Annual fee |
0 | 186 | 670 |
| 03/03/2025 | Go Daddy Website (£47.93, paid June 25) |
0 | 48 | 622 |
| Total | 0 | 234 | -234 | |
| 05/04/2025 | Balance carried over | 0 | 234 | 622 |
| Name Signature Date Prepared by……………… P. Crummay P. Crummay 07/03/2025 Trustee approval…… J. Parkinson |