HRH the Princess Royal to open the new Cherry Tree Volunteers' Tearoom on 12th March!!
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/districts/bournemouth/9502745.Princess_Anne_to_open_Cherry_Tree_Nursery_s_new_building/
Cookery Course
A group of volunteers are thoroughly enoying a course on basic cookery and healthy eating, thanks to the Dorset Food and Health Trust.
The Earth Charter
We have long been admirers of the Earth Charter. We have now been formally invited to sign up to it, and enjoyed a talk about it on 14th November from Jeffrey Newman.
Digital Switchover
Alison Morrison from Help and Care came to explain to volunteers what is goung to happen next March, and what they need to do.
Cats
After a lot of hard work, the Cherry Tree cats now have a lovely warm new home! Sadly, long-term resident Cherry has since passed away peacefully after nineteen years with us. She is greatly missed.
Work on second stage of Safer Paths project has started
We apologise for any convenience, but hopefully our sales and information area will become a safer and pleasanter place to visit. All varieties of plants are still available for purchase!
Cherry Tree volunteer wins silver award in Bournemouth in Bloom competition!
Plant Sale Saturday 1st October
There were loads of lovely plants with some special bargains, along with a wide selection of stalls, live music, free tea and coffee, and an opportunity to see our lovely new sustainable buildings!!
One World Week Programme
This annual event is from from 17th to 21st October
See our events page for more details
Public viewing days for new buildings
There will be an opportunity for the public to view our new sustainable buildings on MONDAY 8th and TUESDAY 9th AUGUST from 8am until 3pm.
After this the building will be closed to the public except on plant sales and open days.
Plants available
We have loads of lovely garden plants available now. Why not come down and have a look?
Open Days
We have just completed 3 very successful Open Days. We would like to thank everyone who came and contributed to these days.
Forklift appeal
We are trying to get hold of a secondhand forklift to help us unload and transport the 75 tons (!) of compost we use annually, which is currently done by hand. If anyone can help, please let us know on 01202-593537. Thank you.
Community Day
55 members of staff from LV=Liverpool Victoria joined us for the day on 28th June. They all worked very hard, whether painting benches, building gates, filling holes in the road, digging up bamboo, weeding the stock bed, potting or replacing slabs. It was a tremendous effort with a real community spirit.
Progress with building work
Work is going well on our new buildings. The roof is finished, and the floor is under construction, complete with alpaca and sheep wool insulation. Work is due to finish in August.
Topping Out Ceremony held
On Tuesday 31st May a Topping Out Ceremony was held at to mark the reaching of the highest point in the construction of the first phase our Sustainable Replacement Building Programme. The timber frame of the new building is now complete, and a living fir branch was attached to the summit of the ridge, following a very ancient tradition. Rob Buckley of the Dorset Centre for Rural Skills explained that the ceremony marks the thanking of the forest for the trees cut down to create the building, and reminded us how much we need trees in order to live. Rev Stewart Killick blessed the building in a blessing designed for people of all faiths. Everyone was then invited inside the structure for the first time, a very special experience. The frame is built from local Douglas fir. The next stage will be to fill the walls, built of compressed waste wood, with local straw for insulation. Following this very moving ceremony a very large group of Cherry Tree workers joined the builders for a delicious barbecue most generously provided and cooked by the Rotary Club of Westbourne. This provided an opportunity for everyone to catch up with old friends in the sunshine.
We hope that this first phase of construction, consisting of a spacious tearoom for the volunteers, with a kitchen and toilet block, will be finished in August. Everyone at Cherry Tree would like to thank all the very generous people who have made this project possible. Fundraising is underway for phases 2 and 3.
Open Garden in aid of Cherry Tree
A local plantswoman is opening her lovely garden at 35 Dunkeld Road, Talbot Woods, in aid of Cherry Tree on Sunday 12th June, between 2.00 and 5.00. There will be plants for sale, as well as tea and coffee and home-made cakes. Admission £2.50, free for children.
Phase One is going up!!
The foundations are now complete and work is progressing on the timber frame and walls - it's well worth a visit to take a look!
We are planning to have our topping out ceremony (when the highest point of the building - the ridge - is reached) at the end of May. Work will be continuing until August.
Apologies for any delays
The site remains busy with lorries, equipment and machinery going in and out of the nursery. But we've got some lovely plants, and hot drinks, so please don't stop visiting us (there's lots to see) and bear with any disruptions to the normal. Thank you!
Building work has now started!!!
The two new temporary tearooms arrived on 8th April 2011. This was followed by some serious demolition work, and the old tearoom is no more! Take a look at Newton's wonderful stop animation on http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cherry-Tree-Nursery/148476365179959#!/pages/Cherry-Tree-Nursery/148476365179959?sk=wall
Condo Chejwaya to have clean water thanks to Cherry Tree volunteers!
The Cherry Tree Nursery volunteers' Bolivia group have now raised the amazing sum of £7,000, which means that this remote, isolated and impoverished community of 48 families in highland Bolivia now has a piped supply of clean, safe sweet water. The water had to be piped over 8 km, crossing ravines, in order to reach the scattered community of Aymara farmers. This is the sixth community now to have water thanks to their efforts. The group are about to start working with a seventh community in the same area.
Try the new Cherry Tree Gardeners' Hand Cream
This lovely new product has been designed and created by Cherry Tree volunteers with the help of local herbalist Catherine Marshall from Herbal Harmony.
It contains a wonderful array of natural ingredients including cherry, marshmallow, marigold, beeswax, lavender, nettle, echinacea, rosemary, rose, aloe vera, orange, teatree and Dorset honey, and is on sale NOW at the Nursery.
Cherry Tree reaches its 21st birthday!
The weather stayed dry for us on 14th April. It was a smaller party than usual, due to restricted space due to the building works, but we were joined by friends old and new (including the builders of course!) for a delicious buffet.
Phenomenally successful plant sale!
Many thanks to everyone who visited our March 26 plant sale and helped to make it the most successful ever! We were blessed with lovely weather which contributed to the happy atmosphere. Please forgive us if you had to queue, or couldn't find a trolley straight away - we weren't expecting so many people! We ask you to bear in mind that the helpers are volunteers who all work incredibly hard to make the day a success. Many thanks to the very popular band Susbus who came to play their ukuleles for us.
Phase 1 of new building scheme to go ahead!
The contracts have all been signed, and work has started at the Dorset Centre for Rural Skills to prefabricate our new volunteers' tearoom, kitchen and toilet block. Work is scheduled to begin on site on 15th April, and will take at least three months. The structure will be entirely built using locally-sourced natural materials. We hope all our visitors, customers and friends will understand that there may be a lot of disruption during this period, but the nursery will remain open, so please keep coming!
Car park extension
This major undertaking was completed in March 2011, thanks to some extremely generous help from our local supporters to whom we extend our grateful thanks! Our car park was no longer big enough to accommodate all our visitors, which also made it very difficult for delivery lorries. Unfortunately no more land is available (if only...), so we have expanded the car park sideways into our plant standing-out area, losing some paths to save plant space. Volunteers enjoyed practising all the different skills involved in this project which took many weeks. The ground has been levelled and a new fence erected. We hope customers will benefit from the extra space, and lorry drivers will find delivering to us a little easier!
A major feature of the new buildings will be a cycle storage area, to encourage people to come on foot, by public transport or bicycle.
Planning permission granted
We now have planning permission for our new building scheme!
Cherry Tree wins Co-operative Community Partnerships Scheme for Wiltshire and Dorset
We have won a lot of awards this year! Many thanks to everyone who voted for us.
New 'Safer Paths' underway
Thanks to the generosity of a local charitable trust, work has started to make the nursery a safer place to visit. Sections of path where the slabs have started to crumble are now being replaced.
Volunteers take part in the Great Santa Fun Run!
On Sunday 12th December, a group of volunteers dressed in Santa suits and took part in this sponsored event at Badbury Rings, organised by Wimborne Rotary Club, to raise funds for our new buildings.
Bournemouth in Bloom 'Best Improved Horticultural Project' - another award!
We are Wessex Charity of the Year!!
We were nominated by a member of the public for the Wessex Charity of the Year award, which covers Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We were one of three, out of a total of two hundred, charities to be shortlisted. Ten of us were able to attend the Gala Dinner and Wessex Charity Awards Ceremony, held at Winchester Guildhall on 30th September 2010, where, to our great surprise and delight, we were chosen as the Charity of the Year!! It is wonderful to have this recognition for a mental health charity, and it is particularly special for us to win in our twentieth year.
Sustainable Replacement Building Programme
The great news is that we now have enough funds to go ahead with Phase I of the Building programme which means the volunteers will have a new tearoom!! THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed so generously.
One World Week 18 - 22 October 2010
We were asked to host this annual event for the first time in 2009, in recognition of our volunteers’ contribution to water projects in Latin America. By popular request, we repeated it during the week 18-22 October 2010, this time with both morning and afternoon sessions, with an excellent selection of speakers and films. Displays about different organisations were set up in the shop, the barn and the function room, and there were a wide selection of ethically and fairly traded items on sale, from 8 am to 3.30 pm. For the programme of films and talks, click here.
Our last plant sale for the year was on Saturday 2nd October
We had a very successful day, with all the usual stalls, including our new addition of Mexican jewellery, and featuring the wonderful Susbus ukulele band. Many thanks to everyone who came along to support us.
Dates for 2011 plant sales: Saturdays March 26th, July 9th, October 1st.
Latest Diana Guy Course “Grow your own Cottage Garden”
This course has proved very popular, with members of the public coming from as far away as Sherborne to attend! Diana very kindly ran the same course for volunteers from Cherry Tree and Chestnut Nursery, followed by an immensely enjoyable course on Trees, involving visits to Hilliers, Canford School, and Bourne Valley.
Stour Valley Festival
This country event takes place in the field next to the nursery, which we open for the entire weekend. This year, in addition to having a stall at the festival, we again held an art and planting event, when local storyteller Pippa Brindley shared tales of “the not-quite-so enormous turnip”.
Volunteers complete very successful sponsored walk
Cherry Tree volunteer Dottie organised a sponsored walk on Thursday 15th July, from Southbourne to Bournemouth and back. In driving wind and rain, with sand blowing in their faces, 24 volunteers, joined by Bill and Ben the Flowerpot Men, completed the walk, and raised over £2,500 for the Sustainable Replacement Building Fund. Following this magnificent achievement, Dottie was presented with the ‘Sponsored Walk Organiser of the Year’ award. Assistant Manager, Jane Nicholls said: “I think the volunteers should feel incredibly proud of the amount of money they have raised”. One of the volunteer walkers said: “The Cherry Tree spirit goes with you wherever you go. It didn’t matter that it was raining, we were all together”.
Annual Bob Anderson Camping Trip
Following the death, in June 2009, of long-time volunteer Bob, we held a gathering in his memory and discussed how best to remember him. It was unanimously agreed to hold an annual camping trip, and to put all the donations made by his friends towards the cost of this. The second trip took place at the end of July 2010, in the Purbecks, with more campers than ever thoroughly enjoying themselves despite the rain.
Open Days July 2010
We were fortunate to have good weather and an excellent turnout for all three days. The focus of the events was the model of the new buildings, with Adam Slatter on hand to answer questions. Friends and Family Day provided an excellent opportunity for volunteers to show off the fruits of their labours.
Cherry Tree’s Twentieth Birthday celebrated; major fundraising appeal launched
On 15th April 2010, Cherry Tree reached the twentieth anniversary of starting work at the nursery site. Many old friends and supporters joined us, in the marquee hired for the event, to hear Rob Buckley and Adam Slatter from the Dorset Centre for Rural Skills describe the sustainable buildings we hope to be able to build. These would replace the decaying portacabins we have endured for so long. The special day was marked by the launch of our fundraising for this badly needed project. The building proposal is attached below; we have so far raised £88,000, with a further £75,000 promised. Please contact us if you can make a contribution, no matter how small!
Potathon 2010
We had a less ambitious Potathon this year, with four teams completing over 22,000 plants pottedin one day. This is a very motivating event in which the whole nursery takes part. Our record stands at over 28,000 plants potted in one day! After the Potathon, all the workers had the opportunity to go on a coach trip, held in memory of Harry Roffey, our late trustee, who initiated this annual outing. This year the trip was to Staunton Country Park, near Havant.
Very successful spring plant sale
Our spring plant sale was an enormous success. We decided to put the profits into the Sustainable Replacement Building Fund, which benefited to the tune of £7,969.65. The Bolivian band came to play for us again, we had crafts, books, home-made cakes, greeting cards, herbal teas and other delights on sale and a happy day was had by all.
Penny Serenaders
The singing group the Penny Serenaders performed a musical entertainment, singing and dancing, at the Barrington in Ferndown recently, in aid of Cherry Tree. A party of volunteers went along and joined in with the fun. James and Christina from the group visited the nursery and presented a cheque for £350, which will go into the new building fund. Many thanks to the group for all their support.
Weymouth holiday 2010
A group of volunteers enjoyed a wonderful sunny week in three caravans in Weymouth at the end of April. We took them down in the minibus, and picked them up at the end of the week. They walked all the way to Portland, went by bus to Bridport, went crabbing, went out for a meal, and visited the Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens.
Secure future for Cherry Tree Nursery
This is a link to a press release from Bournemouth Council regarding Cherry Tree Nursery, issued on Friday 29 January 2010. This celebrates the marvellous news that Cherry Tree is to be granted a 21-year lease of our nursery site. This now enables us to start planning for our new buildings!
SWOP named Dorset Charity of the Year
The Sheltered Work Opportunities Project was voted 'Dorset Charity of the Year' at the Dorset Business Awards annual dinner held in Poole on Friday 11th December 2009. Chairman of SWOP trustees Martin Stewart welcomed this honour on behalf of everyone involved with the charity.
New minibus acquired
Our old minibus was purchased in 1994-5 and had become very unreliable, so following a request from our sister project at Chestnut Nursery, we started a fundraising campaign to replace it. Thanks to the wonderful kindness of many of our supporters, after just over two months we were able to purchase a second-hand Ford Transit replacement from U-Drive. We would like to thank all who contributed to our minibus appeal, and look forward to having a more reliable vehicle for trips, outings and educational visits. A special event to thank everyone was arranged, and photos taken of the donors with the volunteers in the new vehicle.
Winter activities for volunteers
Volunteers went on a number of outings in the new minibus, including visits to Salisbury market, Montacute School, to see the reindeer at Stewarts, and to Chestnut Nursery. They have had a pudding day, a hot soup lunch, and a quiz here with Chestnut Nursery volunteers. They have enjoyed a series of talks, films and presentations including ‘how to make a hazel chair’, ‘’dinosaurs’, and .a farm for the future’. The Senior Lecturer in Psychology from Bournemouth University has given a very interesting presentation on the research work to be conducted here over the next three years. Volunteers also like to participate fully in the shopping and wrapping for the annual Christmas party.
Courses
We started a Numeracy Course in 2009, something we haven’t had for many years, but is now back again due to popular demand. There has been a very interesting course on herbs, including a session making teas and lip balms and a visit to a local herb garden.
Sustainable Building Consultant helping us
We are delighted that Rob Buckley, from the Dorset Centre for Rural Skills, has joined us to help plan new buildings to replace our leaking and decaying old portacabins. Everyone is very excited at the prospect of planning sustainable, low-energy, living buildings for Cherry Tree’s next twenty years (see future plans).
