Welcome to the SRT blog No. 50 

23rd April 2021 – Welcome to our blog post No. 50 

It’s Gardening week next weekDid you know that: 

Sunnyside grow on 7000 bedding dahlias for Dacorums roundabouts and summer bedding displays in the borough. 

Sunnyside have 12000 perennial plants for the Tom Stuart-Smith Garden at the RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival. 

Sunnyside are growing 30000 summer bedding plants for Dacorum which will start to leave us at the end of May for sites around the borough. 

Sunnyside are taking orders for our everpopular hanging, flower baskets. These go to care homes and parish councils and we sell them to the public as well.  

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With all the lovely, sunny & dry weather we are having there is a lot of watering happening at each site. Outside the Northchurch shop they are keeping everything green and growing. The shop does look great in the sunshine.  

 

 

 

 

 

The woodworking team are making hazel dibbers for RHS Hampton Court. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And making more decoupage chickens for RHS, Hampton Court

 

 

 

 

 

 

A skip find is going to be put to good use. It will be fixed it up a little, sanded down, oiled and then it will be turned it into a useful able top. Does anyone know where we can get any more of these for free? Large and small old cable reels? 

Age UK have had a huge amount of volunteers working on their flower / veg beds and summer house so they are looking in tip top condition ready for planting. 

There has been some more work going on around the new pond – putting more soil around the exposed lining to hide it all and get it ready for the plants that they will put in.


 

 

 

 

Maggie has been in the shop with Chloe (thanks for the message Chloe) during another sunny week where they have seen customers coming in for cake and coffee.  

Sowing more seed and planting up more veg to keep the veg boxes going until the end of the year. 

 

 

 

 

 

Picking radishes for the veg boxes and prepping in the newly refurbished shed

 

 

 

 

 

After a hard days work in the animals Graham finishes up tending to his chickens and putting them away for the evening after a good day out of their hutches. 

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Update on the Hemel Food Garden Bakery build.  

The floor has been painted – paint supplied by Tim Batson from Colour Supplies in Hemel 

And *A big Sunnyside thank you* to Sarah and all at Osbornes who have donated the kitchen units for our community bakery at Hemel Food Garden. They delivered it yesterday. 

What a week it’s been for the café. They haven’t stopped as customers love coming to sit outside in the sunny corner of the Hemel Food Garden site and order their favourite cup of tea or barista coffee and cake! 

We did a call out a few weeks ago for a shed. Michael picked it up and was spotted reassembling it, ready for the cats to make it their new home. 

Watering the allotment in the sunshine! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and weeding in the tranquility area  

Seed bombs are being made ready to leave outside to dry out naturally in the sun – a perfect week to do this. It’s a messy job!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And painting more stones for a game we are producing for Hampton Court Sunnyside product stand. More on this to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hemel Food Garden are also getting ready for St. George’s Day, today. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saint George’s Day, is celebrated every year on April 23 and it is the feast day of Saint GeorgeEdward III (1327–1377) put his Order of the Garter (founded c. 1348) under the banner of St. George. This is still the foremost order of knighthood in England and St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle was built by Edward IV and Henry VII in honour of the order. The badge of the Order shows Saint George on horseback slaying the dragon. 

In the past, an old-style custom on Saint George’s Day was to wear a red rose in your lapel, but nowadays not many people do this. It is more popular to fly the Saint George’s Cross flag, with English pubs frequently garlanded with them. People also celebrate the day with other English customs such as morris dancing and fetes. 

St. George’s Day was a major feast and national holiday in England on a par with Christmas from the early 15th century. The tradition of celebration St. George’s day had waned by the end of the 18th century after the union of England and Scotland 

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The Activity Centre are taking old pallets and revamping them as strawberry planters with Neil and Luka. 

 

 

 

 

Mark and Paul were turning a helping hand to make redcurrant jam.

 

 

 

 

 

Mark and Annette were helping to spruce up and wash the minibus.

 

 

 

 

 

Neil, Michael Hogan, Noreen and Annette helping David and Ellie with path digging 

Enjoy your weekend.