Live Simply June Report to the Reflection Group
No Mow May Review
Successes the crowning glory was that we had four bee orchids flowering in the grass for the first time ever and Fr Andy saw a hedgehog in his garden for the first time!!!
The spring bulbs, dandelions and the cowslips put on a great show, as did pansies, buttercups, daisies, plantain, clover, speedwell, hawkweed, and many other wildflowers. The numbers of birds and insects seen in the garden also increased.
Review
The grass in the church garden was left uncut for different lengths of time, the parts that had been cut once or twice before the start of May and then were left uncut for the whole of May produced the most flowers. The areas of grass that were left totally uncut from the beginning of the year until the end of May produced the least flowers. They looked very scruffy by the end of the experiment and were very difficult to cut with our domestic mower, thankfully both the mower and the person who cut the grass survived. The nettles were also left to grow, however as they grew bigger they encroached on the entrance to the gazebo and were a hazard particularly to children and so they were cut to the ground.
Conclusion and Recommendation
If we were to do it again next year we wouldn’t leave any areas uncut from the beginning of the year. It would be good to join in No Mow May as it clearly benefited insects, birds, wildflowers and hedgehogs.
Live Simply June
Great Big Green Week is 10th– 18th June. It is the UK’s biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle climate change and protect nature and St. Joseph’s are taking part!!
On Sun 11th June there will be an Exhibition of Environment Friendly and Plastic Free Products in church, this will be an opportunity for parishioners to check out some tried and tested eco – products.
Exhibition of Environment Friendly and Plastic Free Products June 2023
We had a display of a whole range of tried and tested environment friendly and plastic free products along with a review of all the products on display and information where they are available.
This event was registered as part of Big Green Week
The Exhibition took place outside church on June 11th. It was a great success many parishioners stopped to look at the exhibition and were amazed at the range of products that are available. It provoked a lot of conversations and discussions. People were heard to say “ I use that” or “ I don’t use that I use ……….” and “ You can get that at …………… it’s really good ).The products were on display in church for the rest of June.
Christine Parrott
