Oaks Meadow Project Annual Review 2021 - 2022

Since the last AGM the Oaks Meadow Trustees, volunteers and supporters have worked tirelessly to progress the vision that we first had back in 2019. This year we have encountered drought, torrential rain and funding trials, all dealt with using the community spirit that drives the project.

This year we have welcomed a new Trustee to the charity, and that is Diana Marjoram. In order to make the most of Diana’s skills we have had a cabinet reshuffle, which seems to be the thing to do these days! Diana is now our Treasurer and Sue Green has moved to the position of charity Secretary. Nicola Cleaver remains a Trustee but will not have a named role.

Soon after the last AGM the orchard was planted with twenty fruit trees donated by the Sicon Foundation. We have three Catherine apple trees still to arrive as we had to wait for them to be grafted. The Catherine apple was first identified in Combs behind the Live and Let Live pub on Park Road. Bill Baldry has kindly taken on the role as guardian of the orchard and his care of the trees saw blossom in the spring and apples, crab apples and cherries at the end of summer. Daphne Baldry baked a batch of individual apple pies using these apples.

Sara Waterer compiled a questionnaire, to go out to all the residents who received the Barclif newsletter, to understand everyone’s thoughts on a village hall type building on the meadow. Sara subsequently produced a report of all the responses with a breakdown of the ages that were represented. 

Having been one of four sites identified as a Healing Wood by Suffolk County Council, we had just three months to get the work done that we were required to do. Hedging was planted along the boundaries with the help from Suffolk Rural College, benches and seats installed from Realise Futures, the Reflective Garden designed by Louisa Van den Berg and specimen trees planted and two large notice boards made and installed by Danny Bellamy. Healing Woods have also arranged for us to have a tree planted from the ‘Queen’s Green Canopy’ which should arrive any day now.

The Natsol fully composting toilet and separate urinal was installed by Kevin Brand with the help of his family and friends which included the loan of a JCB from John Crooks and operated by his son. This was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund and will be maintained by Kevin. Two IBCs have been installed behind the toilet to collect rainwater from the roof to provide water for the vegetable patch.

We are pleased to have the support and involvement from three youth groups in the area. First of all Thrive from the Mix in Stowmarket joined us last year and they have built a bug hotel for our creepy crawly inhabitants. Last week they brought along a hedgehog house that they had constructed and with the help of a member of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust the house was sited in the best location for hedgehogs.  Michelle Chisholm from the Autism and ADHD organisation from Ipswich got in touch with us last spring and the development of a section of the Reflective Garden was the result of our collaboration as part of their EmpowHer group. Indigo Opportunities from Stowmarket and surrounding area are weekly volunteers on the meadow. They are helping with general maintenance of all areas and developing some of their own, namely vegetable/fruit beds and plans for a sensory garden.

It was a great relief to eventually get the vehicular entrance constructed with funds from MSDC capital grant, District Councillor John Matthissen’s locality budget and fundraising events like the Christmas Fair organised by Angela West. The oak gates funded by Combs Parish Council were installed and they look fantastic. The bridge over the ditch was constructed by Danny Bellamy and funded by the Geoffrey Burton Trust and Arnold Clarke.

Sue Reynard has volunteered to be the vegetable patch guardian and has made a start by constructing compost bins from old pallets. Three large raised beds are in place funded by Higgidy foods and five small beds were donated by Michelle Chisholm and are being planted up by the Indigo Opportunities group. Stuart Scarff donated a trailer load of compost and the beds have been prepared for next year using the ‘no dig method’, that is putting cardboard in the bottom then sticks and twigs, topped up with the compost.

A community event was held on Midsummer Day to construct a Medicine Wheel Garden and to provide a socialising opportunity for all the local residents. It was very well attended with people bringing plants for the garden, painting stones and enjoying refreshments and a barbeque which went on past sunset. Many of those there have asked us to make this an annual event, which we will endeavour to do. The centre piece of the garden is a magnificent upturned root which was rescued from the house development in Tannery Road, along with six trailer loads of additional roots. In time we will make stumperies with those roots and use a few of the larger ones as features on the meadow.

Once the Reflective Garden had been landscaped with funding from the National Lottery Community Fund & Ikea – ‘No Place Like Home’, it was down to volunteers to make it into a garden for people to enjoy a quiet space for reflection. The paths have been covered with woodchips from Jim Henson’s new garden and over roasted coffee beans from a local supplier. Cheryl Edwards has taken on the role of guardian of the garden and ensured that the specimen trees were regularly watered throughout the summer drought, assisted by Darren Lambert. Kevan Barraclough donated a number of plants which have been planted in one of the sections. District Councillor John Matthissen has allocated money from his locality budget to buy more plants. Jon Cook has started the dead hedge surrounding the garden and this will require donations of cut branches to fill it in all the way around.

Last year the Oaks Meadow Focus/User group met to discuss and chose the equipment for the playground. Ian Clark submitted drawings for the planning permission which was subsequently granted. Three companies were approached to plan and quote for the supply and installation of the equipment, Sovereign was chosen as the preferred supplier. That was the easy part, securing the funding was another story all together. That said, with the help of MSDC capital grant, we were granted the funds from Viridor Credits to provide a superb playground with exercise equipment for adults and children and a wooden gazebo to be sited between the pond and the medicine wheel garden for visitors to shelter from the rain or the sun.

I am pleased to say that this part or the project started on Monday November 23rd and is set to take three weeks to complete with all being done and dusted before Christmas. Steve Green our Health and Safety Officer will oversee the risk assessments and maintenance needs of the play area. He will also be undertaking ROSPA training to ensure that we comply with all the safety requirements advised.

Sometime in the New Year, probably Spring, we will have an official opening of the site. Until then pedestrians are welcome to enter over the bridge and use the play area and walk around the green space. The gates will be unlocked at certain times when either a working party is due to take place or the ground is dry enough to take the weight of a car. During the summer the ground was as hard as concrete, but the recent downpours have made it a bit soggy and vehicles have churned up the ground.

Many thanks once again to all our supporters and volunteers, I have no doubt that 2023 will be just as busy as 2022.

Desiree Shelley
Chair of the Trustees
23.11.22