Club Environmental Activities - April - June 2024

Rotary Club of Kettering Huxloe

Hedge Laying

One of our members, Robert Webb, has planted a 20 meter of hedge and planted 84 willow cuttings. His aim aim is to grow a willow hedge along the Ise Brook to keep the sheep out of the neighbours field its only a few yards but if the river dries up they could wander.

Kettering Trash Dash 2024

We organised a litter picking competition in Kettering alongside the Kettering Wombles and the Kettering Town Council for the community which was based on the Japanese sport, SpoGomi. A total of 78 bags of rubbish weighing 146kg was collected between the 11 teams taking part. This included taking 1,583 grams of cigarette butts off the streets.

This competition would not have been possible without the Mayor of Kettering, Tinker from the Kettering Wombles, and Kim Parry from Rotary Club of Kettering Huxloe. Sainsbury’s and the residents of Sir John Brown Court kindly provided us with refreshments. And we had lots of wonderful volunteers that helped weigh, score and carry a lot of equipment.

The event was sponsored by Kettering Town Council who provided the winning trophy and painted the team boxes in the park, Kettering Civic Society who provided the first place £100 cash prize and our club who provided the second and third place £60 cash prizes.

Prayer Garden

Last year we received a £200 district grant for our environment project. St Thomas More Primary School in Kettering had a piece of unused land at the end of the playing field they wanted to turn into a prayer garden; to create a useable space for the teachers and children. It has taken nearly two years (due to issues with funding and delays with the community service helpers) but on Friday 24th May Bishop David officially opened the garden. 

The children buried a time capsule which was very exciting! We used the grant money to purchase decking boards which we made into planters and the garden was just grass. We then supplied them with peat free compost for the planters and loads of bee friendly perennial plants and shrubs. We were lucky enough to get some 'plants for free' from Tesco which provided some instant colour. The garden contains a bird feeding table and some bug hotels to encourage more wildlife into the garden.

Litter picking

We organised a community litter pick at Northampton Recreation Ground and we had 20 volunteers come and join us. We collected 17 bags of litter and we were treated to Celia's homemade fruit cake and a cuppa afterwards!

Rotary Club of Loughborough Beacon

Litter Picking

Litter picking in association with the North Leicestershire Litter Wombles and the Marios Tinenti Centre, Lolughborough.

Rewilding

40 square metres of wildlife garden created from what was an area of concrete slabs. Not yet fully completed, but almost.

Rotary Club of Leicester De Montfort

Rewilding

Wyggeston’s Wood

A morning’s woodland maintenance was undertaken on 22 May by a group of Club members well-equipped for the extremely wet conditions. In addition to crown lifting numerous trees a large collection of hazel stakes was prepared for the garden volunteers at Aigburth Care Home. There were delivered the following day and received with much gratitude.