Earthworks News
Earthworks Christmas Party
Earthworks held it's Christmas Party on Wednesday 14th December. For the first and only time, we were in the centrally heated warmth of the old CMS building. Our use of this building will be over at the end of the month. We had lots of food – mince pies, cakes, quiches and lovely warm, homemade punch.
Andrew was our DJ and was assisted by Sam. The music was festive and there was lots of singing along – especially from Rachel who was in fine voice! There was also a game to find Rudolph's nose, however participants were blindfolded!
Phil, our Project Leader, handed out Certificates of Achievement to our trainees and volunteers. The Certificates highlight some of the work and contribution they all bring to Earthworks.
News From Hixberry Lane
We have been overwhelmed by the support and kindness of people since our devastating arson attack in September 2011. We have received over £5,000 in cash donations. Lots of donations have been from individuals who read or heard about our plight and were kind enough to drop cheques and cash in to us.
Organisations such as The St. Albans & Mid Herts Caledonian Society, The St. Albans Rotary Club, The Cell Barnes Trust and Rothamsted Research in Harpenden have made donations too. Burston Garden Centre donated a lot of tools and plants immediately after the fire which was fantastic as so many tools were destroyed. Aylett Nurseries also kindly donated tools and have made us their Christmas charity.
We currently have use of the old CMS building, which is adjacent to our site. However, we will need to vacate it at the end of December. We will then move into a sizeable Portakabin, now situated in our car park. The father of one of our trainees donated this to us and we are very grateful to him.
We have been keeping busy with our normal activities including site maintenance and harvesting and selling vegetables. We are also working on Christmas crafts including handmade Christmas Cards (£2.50 for 4) and Christmas wreaths, using our own willow. We will be selling our crafts at the Farmers Market in St. Albans on Sunday 11th December and from site. (Tuesday to Friday, until the 16th December).
Thank you to everybody for their generosity and also for all the moral support – it really has helped. Early next year, we will be planning a brand new site building. We’ll keep you posted!
More Pictures of Hixberry Lane
Removal of the charred remains leaves a poignant vacancy...
The new toilets thankfully undamaged.
The kindly donated portakabin will provide a cosy refuge from wintery weather.
The architectural splendours of the CMS building.
To read about and see photos of the two arson attacks click here.
Summer Newsletter
Download our Summer Newsletter.
Earthworks Open Garden
Thank you to everyone who attended Earthworks Open Garden which was held on Saturday 3rd May at our Hixberry Lane site in St. Albans.
Many people attended and bought plants and crafts. They queued patiently for burgers from our BBQ, ate cake and drank lots of tea. They browsed the book stall and strolled around the site. Some just sat back and listened to the live music.
We would like to thank all our volunteers and friends who helped out on the day. A special thank you to Butterwick Day Care who prepared and sold quiches and rolls.
Mayor's Pride Awards 2011
Earthworks, St. Albans is proud to announce that they are winners in the category of Environmental Champion of the Year.
The judges were looking to reward individuals or groups who are committed to championing environmental awareness and who are an example to others. With a passion for lowering the carbon footprint and improving sustainability, they ‘live and breathe’ to save the planet.
The awards are a new initiative developed by the current Mayor Cllr Maxine Crawley and organised by St Albans City and District Council. They are designed to honour the unsung heroes and volunteers from across the District who have put others before themselves, shown an outstanding contribution to the community or achieved great things in the face of adversity.
Ten awards were presented in a special ceremony at the Alban Arena on Thursday, 28th April, 2011.