Transition Greenspaces

Breathing Spaces in November

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You can join us at Dankton Lane Barnyard, Sompting, from 11am to 1pm Sunday 6 November for a volunteers work-morning.

Keeping on top of the overly-dominant plants like brambles and such like (bring thick gloves and a drink/snack and dress for the weather) and checking to see how the pond and the wild bees are getting on.

Or if you would like some of these autumnal beauties, we should have dropped off chrysanthemums for sale on the TTW stall at the Sustainability Market, Stoke Abbott Road, also on 6 November. Generous bunches for £5 each (you could even split them and share with someone else). Get there early before they’re all gone!

And don’t forget you can volunteer with us on Thursday mornings at Maybridge Keystone Centre, Worthing BN12 6JD 10.30am-12.30pm and learn how we grow them (and other flowers), without chemicals or heat.

[email protected]

Don’t Forget To Breathe

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If you need an opportunity and a place to breathe (who doesn’t!), getting involved with nature is one of the best ways to do it, and it can be even better in the company of friendly people. There are two ways to volunteer with TTW project Breathing Spaces:

Help us look after the small community flower farm and woodland garden at the Maybridge Keystone Centre, Raleigh Way, Worthing. There’s still plenty of autumn jobs to do and we will be gardening right up til the beginning of December. You will learn what’s seasonal, how to grow in a nature-led and sustainable way, and you can help us prepare bunches of gorgeous blooms for our wonderful subscribers. The flowers are still abundant and volunteers usually get a few to take home. We are there on Thursday mornings, 10.30am-12.30pm, but if Thursdays are not a good a day for you, it is possible that you could help us on other days. For example, Shared Lives garden on Tuesdays when we are not there, and some of our volunteers go to water or do jobs on other days. Let us know what works for you.

For some wilder ‘gardening’, join us at Dankton Lane Barnyard, Sompting, usually on the first Sunday of every month, 11am-1pm, between March and December. It’s a site for wildlife and wildflowers where (with kind permission of Sompting Estate) we are improving the pond and keeping the most dominant vegetation at bay so that there is more biodiversity (we’re a bit like grazing animals in a re-wilding project!). So, for example, we pull out some of the brambles, hogweed and thistles whilst leaving plenty for the wild creatures, including the bees in the log hive installed there as part of the Bees And Seas project. It’s a peaceful, hidden gem on the Downs, and you can walk or cycle there from Worthing or Lancing (no parking on site). Again, there is a possibility to volunteer there on other days if you have got to know the site and the work.

Keep breathing deep through the autumn and winter. Contact Claire or Lisa:
[email protected]

Breathing Spaces & the Big Butterfly Count

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Please note we have changed the date of the next volunteer morning at Dankton Lane Barnyard (usually 1st Sunday of the month 11am-1pm). There will not be a session on 7th August.

We will be there instead on Sunday 31st July at the earlier time of 10am – 12 noon (so we get the work done before the hottest part of the day). It’s a lovely site that should be standing tall in wildflowers this month, with areas of shade from the trees, a newly improved pond (if it’s still holding water) and a busy wild bee hive. We’ll be clearing out some of the brambles and hogweed that otherwise threaten to take over. But it’s also the Big Butterfly Count, a citizen science project to monitor the health of the UK’s butterflies. So we’re going to spend some time recording what we see and someone could add the data to the Butterfly Conservation’s interactive map. Let Claire and Lisa know if you would like to join in. You will need to bring your own drink/refreshments, gardening gloves, and dress appropriately for the conditions (lots of stingers and scratchers around) and, of course, the weather.

[email protected]

Cortis Avenue Wildlife Garden Open Day 30th July

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Great News! The Cortis Avenue Wildlife Garden Open Day is back this year. So come along on Saturday 30th July between 12 noon and 4pm to see how the garden has blossomed since Covid lockdown.

Find out:

All About Bees, Bug and Insect Life, Butterfly Identification for Big Butterfly Count, Hedgehog Corner, Plants for Pollinators, Pond Life.

We’re at Cortis Avenue, off Carnegie Road, Broadwater, Worthing BN14 7BG. Buses to Broadwater Church or Bohunt School. Street parking in Cortis Avenue or Carnegie Road (via South Farm Road).

Free entry. Children very welcome, including pushchairs. Unfortunately our uneven grass paths are not wheelchair accessible. We ask No Dogs except Assistance Dogs. Composting toilet facilities available.

If you can’t make 30th July, and would like to join us at another time, our usual opening times are:
Wednesdays 10am to 12 noon,
Fridays 10am to 12 noon
2nd & 4th Saturday of the month 10am to 12 noon

Check out the Facebook Page or email [email protected]

Potential New Friends of Rosedene Group

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Richard and Merry, who have been TTW members since we began, have a delightful, tranquil little urban wood in the heart of Broadwater.

They would very much like others to benefit from its peace and beauty, so we wondered whether anyone would be interested in forming a little Friends Group to enjoy this lovely space and help with maintenance – which is pretty minimal, as it’s a rewilded space so just needs a bit of tweaking when things get a bit rampant!

If anyone is interested in visiting to take a look before committing to anything, please do get in touch and we will supply contact details and further information: [email protected]

Would You Like To Volunteer With Breathing Spaces?

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Breathing Spaces are having a little get-together for TTW volunteers, just to say thank you for all their hard work. It’s at Maybridge Keystone Centre on Sunday June 26th from 5pm for a couple of hours and we thought that, if you are interested in volunteering for TTW, you might like to join us so you can find out how you can get involved?

For example, Breathing Spaces would love to involve more volunteers at both our tiny sustainable flower farm at Maybridge and also at the downland barnyard in Sompting. We currently have practical sessions on Thursday mornings and the first Sunday of every month, but if those times don’t suit you, we also need help, especially with watering (best done in the morning or late afternoon/early evening) on a Saturday, and there could be a small group on other days. Why not come and see how our garden grows?

There will be volunteers there from other TTW projects to talk to and find out more. If you want to join us, please email [email protected] for more information, and to help us with numbers for catering.

Welcome to the Breathing Spaces project!

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From the beginning of March we welcome Breathing Spaces to our Greenspaces Groups so we now have May Close Community Allotment and the Triangle, and also Cortis Avenue Wildlife Garden sits under our umbrella in the same way as Breathing Spaces’ lovely gardens and flower farm will.

Breathing Spaces will be looking after the garden at Maybridge Keystone Centre and growing flowers for their subscribers from Thursday March 3rd 10.30-12.30 Maybridge Keystone Centre, Raleigh Way BN12 6JD – and every Thursday til November.

They will also be doing monthly work sessions at Dankton Lane Barnyard, Sompting, on the first Sunday of every month from March 6th, 11am-1pm. Bring your wellies because they are going to start re-puddling the pond! Great exercise treading clay in a lovely spot on the downs – you could bring a packed lunch and go for a walk afterwards. And maybe the bees will be venturing out from the log hive…

With the growing season almost being upon us now, if you would like to come and help at any of our Community Greenspaces gardens, do let us know at [email protected] or contact Claire & Lisa at Breathing Spaces directly at [email protected]

Cortis Avenue Wildlife Garden Open Times

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The amazing volunteers at the Cortis Avenue Wildlife Garden have now started their winter maintenance programme – mainly pruning and tool maintenance. And of course, watching out for the first signs of Spring.

For January and February 2022, the garden will be open 10am – 12 noon as follows (weather permitting):

Wednesdays: 12th January, 26th January, 9th February, 23rd February

Fridays: 7th January, 21st January, 4th February, 18th February

Saturdays: 15th January, 29th January, 12th February, 26th February

For more information, check out their Facebook Page – or email [email protected] – or phone 01903 530780.

Transition Greenspaces In October

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We are beginning to wind down now at the allotments and our recent group visits have been involved in having a good tidy up and making a start on mulching beds, ready for spring sowing. In the polytunnel the tomatoes are still producing well, as are the salad crops. We have a few pumpkins almost ready to share with our volunteers and have recently processed loads of apples. The sprouts, chard and celeriac are not long off harvesting now and we’re doing bi-monthly manure runs to a local farm so that our beds will hopefully be even more productive next year.

It’s been a very rewarding year, despite all the restrictions and our team is gradually growing. If you fancy getting involved, do email us: [email protected]

Transition Greenspaces – June Update

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The Triangle, Tarring

We’ve had a really good crop of strawberries and everything else is growing like crazy, including the hedge, grass and weeds – all of which needs a lot of taking care of so if anyone wants to come and help, do email us. Big thanks to Dom and Alan for all your hard work in keeping things going.

We have some new logs to sit on when people just need to take a breather, courtesy of Brooklands massive log pile. Alan and Pauline went to collect a load of scrap wood and logs recently that we will make very good use of at The Triangle and at May Close.

May Close Community Allotment, Maybridge

Thanks to the recent heavy rain, just needing to water the polytunnel has been really helpful. Big thanks to those who have braved the rain in order to keep things going – we could not do any of this without our dedicated volunteers so a shout out to Tracey, Kayley, Jo, Nicky, Sarah, David and Alan.

Welcome to our new volunteer Roberta, who has quickly settled into the group. It’s been incredibly helpful having another pair of hands as not everyone can come every week so, again, if anyone wants to come and help, do email us as there’s always masses of weeding to do at this time of year! It’s a lovely tranquil spot and the plus side is that you hopefully go home with some fruit or veg that has been grown organically.

The foxes have created a new game – it’s called “drink the beer from the slug traps” – we’ve not seen them staggering about afterwards but hopefully it’s not enough to make them drunk! We didn’t realise they were partial to beer but maybe it’s more about the dead slugs in it – apologies to those who are vegan but things were getting out of hand – all our new plants were being demolished instantly!

We have a huge number of tadpoles and the resident frogs usually pop up out of the pond to say hello when we are there, it’s so lovely for us all to receive a little welcome every time.