Many of you will have observed many diligent volunteers tending the flower beds in our village, clearing up litter, and generally bringing Ryton back to some of the glory it enjoyed during our Britain in Bloom days, a competition in which we won many awards. The man responsible for getting this project up and running is Rytonian Aidan Lawson. He gives the following update.
“As summer approached our Brighten Ryton members will be increasingly active. We are very fortunate to have so many enthusiastic volunteers.
Volunteers still needed: To look after the dene within Ferndene Park. It doesn’t need much work, but some extra hands would be very welcome.
Flower Bed Buddies: It is unlikely that our Flower Bed Buddies will be doing much other than weeding before middle to end May.
Working with our Heritage Group, we will create a new memorial and flower bed at Stargate, assuming we gain council permission, to commemorate those who lost their lives in the Stargate Pit Disaster.
Cemetery and Memorial Garden Group:
We hope to see the cemetery group commence grass cutting early in April. The 1,500 daffodils and narcissi we planted along the south eastern hedge, a area which has been home to brambles and nettles, will soon be in bloom. I will let you know when we fix dates, as we work in conjunction with the council team. In 2018, we hope to be given permission to strum around headstones. This group will also be working in Holly Cross churchyard throughout the year.
The team at Crookhill have transformed the Memorial Garden with a tasteful selection of heathers, bulbs, decoration and plants. Well worth a visit.
Litter Action: The Litter Action Group who last met to clear Ferndene Park of litter prior to an event in February meet again on Sunday 18th March at 10:00am.
Heritage Group: The Heritage Group have their next meeting at 7:30pm in Ryton Cricket Club on Monday 12th March, all are welcome to attend. During March the team will commence work on restoration of the pinfold, and later will engage in preservation work at the folly erected by Charles Thorp in the wall of East Grange farmyard. Later in the year the group plan to improve the Emma pit wheel. The group are running a project with all local primary schools to improve the children’s awareness of coal mining industry of the Ryton area – why we mined coal, the human cost and the legacy. During 2018 we plan to develop several publications about walks in the Ryton area with back ground notes.
Community Forum and Greenbelt Protection: Both have made submissions of observations regarding plans submitted by Bellway and Taylor Wimpey developments to the south of Ryton. Members of the Greenbelt Protection Group will meet with planning officers.
Representations have also been made to the council to define the boundaries of Stella. The council’s initial response was that Stella doesn’t have sufficient roadside properties to justify being classed as a village where the referenced government guideline covered the justification to have speed restrictions! We await a meeting with council officials.”
www.rytonian.com 