Our annual review and our fundraising goals for 2023

 

November is upon us. It is rainy and colder but it's not as cold as in previous years. Despite the dry summer we had really good crops due to the diligence of volunteers who came and watered. It has been an exciting year with the new hut being built and we are fundraising for the final touches. The hut has been already used by a local organisation and with our already existing compost toilet we can welcome local groups who need a place to meet.

Thank you for our roving volunteers at AstraZeneca who came back again and contributed to a number of projects with manpower and resources.

Please click on images to enlarge them and read about the wonderful things that happened this year. 

A big thank-you to Transition Cambridge for their support and all those who donated time and resources. To those who moved on, we remember you with gratitude and hope you come back to see us.

October at ECCG and exciting hut updates - please donate!

The ECCG this month

 

Autumn is in full swing but the garden is still so green and pleasant. There has been great progress with the meeting hut, a true labour of love with plenty of recycling of materials... We have a lovely indoor/outdoor feature involving bottles, they look like precious jewels and sparkle in the sun.

We are fundraising for more improvements, please visit our page here.

 

Inside the meeting hut, John and Charlotte have been busy making it cosy. There is now a kitchenette and a kettle! We do have an outdoor kettle powered by twigs and it will still come out but think of raining days in the hut, workshops and all-day events (we do have a compost toilet already).

The roof has solar panels but they are proving to be a challenge to instal. Thank you so much to all the volunteers, people and companies who donated to make this project possible. We could not have done it with you - a big thank to Charlotte and her team of builders for making this happen. We are all excited about the future.

If you read this and are not a member, leave a comment with your email and we will subscribe you to our gmail group. Or you can contact Charlotte. 

We also gratefully accept donations in money and kind. Contact Charlotte if you'd like to help.

Charlotte: csynge@googlemail.com - tel. 07752 143683.

News from ECCG

We had a very dry summer in the UK and everywhere in Cambridge the grass was looking like straw. The watering rota was crucial for the survival of our fruit and veggies. Right now Szechuan peppers are ready, so are the apples, basil, tomatoes and beetroot. 

Ben found this lovely creature earlier in the summer. Charlotte loves toads with their golden eyes. 

She sent us a few lines of poetry: "Ask a toad what is beauty ...; he will answer that it is a female with two great round eyes coming out of her little head, a large flat mouth, a yellow belly and a brown back.".

Earlier this summer we had AstraZeneca volunteers helping with the meeting hut; here are a few photos...

On a sad note, we said goodbye to Elisabeth and Didier, who have been part of the garden for many years and returned to France. Photos are posted with permission.

We finish with a song: Empty Common Garden Bee

(The Bladog Bee)

A bee there was just flying around

in the Empty Common garden.

It heard the sound of our music fine,

and said," I beg your pardon!

Who asked you here

to disturb the calm of this lovely garden idyll?

Not us, we say

Just go away!

Take your flutes and horns and fiddle!"

Well it stung the flute, and it stung the fiddle

We could see that it wasn't keen

as it chased us round the vegetables

in this lovely garden green.

Saturday 6 August - Butterfly event

 

AstraZeneca comes back to ECCG

Another cohort of green-fingered volunteers from AstraZeneca visited the garden in July. We documented what they did for us in these lovely photos.

Thank you so much for contributing to our community garden with your hard work.

The Garden still needs volunteers, if you would like to join, please get in touch.

Another party at Empty Common - Sunday 17 July

It's summer and the watering rota is in full swing because it is not raining and if it does, it is not enough for plants to thrive.

This Sunday, the Empty Common Community Garden is hosting the Transition Cambridge's summer picnic, 12:00-14:00. It is open to anyone and it's a chance to meet and catch up with local transitioners. 

Please bring your own food and drink (best if we don't share because of covid). The picnic will go ahead whatever the weather as the new meeting hut is now viable!!!

Donations towards ECCG are, of course, welcome!

Below are the photos of our own party, which was attended by members of Transition too.

 

Saturday picnic party - 2 July 2022

Apologies if the blog has been quiet. We have been working hard, watering and planting in the outside beds as the outdoor growing season started. The hut is also progressing. Why not come and see for yourself this Saturday? 

Come and join us and help to promote ECCG. Bring food and drink to share. We hope to see you there!