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Spring has finally arrived, bringing with it lighter evenings and warmer sunny weather. We've been making the most of it on site - you can read more about what we've been up to below. There are also some really exciting ways to get involved over the next few months as we strive to finish off the syntropic agroforestry field, launch our teenage healing garden, and start to repair the walls of the walled garden...
What we've been up to...
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We've been enjoying some glorious sunshine up at the site of late. In the syntropic agroforestry field, phase one of the first two rows out of six has now been completed.
A big thank you to all the volunteers that have taken the time to join us at our Thriving in Nature sessions. Barrowing woodchip is quite a workout!
Thanks also to Bucksum for their donation of much-needed cardboard for lining the pathways.
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Our governance group met at the end of March for a tour of the site and a discussion about ideas and exciting plans for the future, along with exercises to define our mission, vision and values and a chat about how our groups or 'circles' work.
If you haven't already, you can sign up to the 'circles' you are most interested in via our WhatsApp Community. The circle topics include Health, Wellbeing & Healing, Building & Heritage, Enterprise, Fundraising & Finance, Comms, Marketing & Events, and Growing. Get in touch to find out more about joining.
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Get involved...
Find Out More About Syntropic Agroforestry
At our Thriving in Nature session on Tuesday 29 April, we'll be joined by Rachel from Edge Landscaping, who designed our syntropic agroforestry system, to educate us about the system, how it works, why certain plants were chosen and how we can use them, with plenty of opportunities to ask questions.
The session will start at 9.30am and finish at 12.30pm. Do let us know if you are interested in coming along.
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Teenage Healing Garden - Volunteers Needed
May will see the launch of our Teenage Healing Garden, funded by Community Action Oxfordshire. This project will initially work with a group of girls from Thame Guides, running a treasure hunt as an introduction to the site and to determine where they would like the garden to be placed, then going on to deliver an outdoor cooking session while we explore together features they would like to see in the garden. We are also exploring sessions with other groups of girls, and hope to have more information to share on these soon.
If you are interested in helping at these sessions, or being part of the team who get the area ready for the girls' sessions, then we would love to hear from you.
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Are You PASMA trained?
We are looking for volunteers that are trained in assembling, inspecting and dismantling a scaffold tower, to help us with the scaffolding being erected as part of the repairs to the walled garden coming up later in May.
Well done to Her Land founder Clare who recently took the training and became PASMA certified! If you would like to know more about the training, or would like to get involved in the walled garden repairs, please do let us know.
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Thriving in Nature
Our Thriving in Nature sessions run every Tuesday morning during term time from 9.30am - 11.30am. We also run a session on the fourth Sunday of each month from 2pm-4pm. To join us this Sunday 27 April, please complete the registration form here.
The sessions offer a unique opportunity to meet new people and learn new skills, while also getting out into nature to improve your physical and mental health.
Find out more here.
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Plant of the month...
Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)
Sea Buckthorn is a UK native hedgerow, noted for its plentiful, edible orange berries and attractive, delicate silvery foliage.
The plant is one of few to fix its own nitrogen which helps it thrive in a variety of habitats and improves soil quality for other plants growing close by.
The berries are edible from late summer all the way through to the following spring and can be used in pies, preserves, sauces and juices, with the added bonus of being exceptionally high in antioxidants and vitamin C - up to 15 times the amount contained in an orange.
Did you know? Oil from the berries is frequently added to skin care products and was previously used by astronauts to protect against sun burn.
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What we've been reading...
Why Women Grow, Alice Vincent
Alice Vincent's quest to understand what encourages women to go out into green spaces, work the soil, plant seeds and nurture them, even when so many other responsibilities sit upon their shoulders. She explores the histories that have been lost among the soil, as well as women's lives, their gardens and what the ground has offered them.
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"When I wanted to know why women turned to the earth, I thought about some of the reasons. I thought about grief and retreat. I thought about motherhood and creativity. I also thought about the ground as a place of political change, of the inherent politics of what it is to be a woman, to be in a body that has been othered, dismissed and fetishised for millennia. I thought about the women who see the earth as an opportunity for progress and protest..."
Alice Vincent - Why Women Grow
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If you have ideas for content that you would like to see included in future newsletters, please do let us know.
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