Standish Guerilla Gardeners

I reported yesterday on the indiscriminate thuggery by Wigan Council operatives - and their useless and destructive monolith of a mower.

I have received a reply from a Local Councillor who is investigating it.  Some people may find this an insignificant kind of action, but I believe it is these types of inconsistent and blind actions that smacks of disconnected councils and I believe could prove to be the tip of the iceberg in terms of ludicrous and poorly considered policies.  One minute we are told the Mineral Line is private land and the next the Council mow it?  One minute we are told we can’t have litter bins because the land is private and out of the Councils control and the next they flail down indiscriminately chopping up litter, leaving it blowing in the wind, leave a mess everywhere, kill many wild plants, cut down saplings and do a very poor job in the bargain.

As I have stated time and time again - either do a job properly with care or don’t bother.  The public grass that has been cut would have been better left to go to meadow, many commented on how great it looked before it was cut.  Then in the Autumn cut it down - bag the hay and sell it to pet shops or farmers - at very least compost it.  That’s a much more natural approach to public space maintenance.  And if not that - let’s have the job done regularly and properly and have it left presentable.

It would be a far more professional job if it was left to someone who cared and made it there business to tend it.

It’s about time, in my mind councils took notice of how the volunteering force can be assisted in making this borough a more inclusive and empowering place to live - rather than ignore the underpinning and valuable work they do.

Anyway here’s the pictures, notice the chopped up litter, and the tyre tracks down the verge next to of all things a nature reserve!!!  Don’t understand!

The last pictures shows the dead poppy heads - just ready to come into flower.  OK so they are ornamental, all the same they add a vibrant touch of colour to a track that needs much more tlc than I can provide.  Pic4 shows the ‘beautiful’ chopped up litter - how many bin loads of litter have I picked over the last year or so? - erm at least 9 blue bins full!!  Pic 3 shows the nature reserve and the tyre tracks left by the mower.

More’s the point as I live so close I watched the operatives attitude as they did the job - slap dash and get it done quick was most certainly the aire they had and they hurtled up and down.  Should I have challenged them? I doubt I would have received a fair hearing really.

OK nothing I can do about that now, sad though it is but nature has an uncanny way of eating this stuff for dinner - all this said I really think it’s about time that something more positive was done to develop community spirit and give people a vent to build something together.  It’s all very well and good one renegade making the TV for his work as a Guerilla Gardener but it’s not the type of thing your average person wants to be involved with.  It would be superb if Standish developed a proper community garden, get the schools involved, the older people and the kids, get them to grow community veg and get close to nature.  There’s a massive move towards allotments again what better way to bind a community than for us all to share the fruits (and veg) of our labour.

Take a look at this site - just one I found in Islington - it’s cool, really cool.

Onwards!

Sometimes you get to the stage where you feel like packing it all in.  Why?  Because something happens where you say why bother?

I’ve been walking the line each morning looking for the first signs of wild flowers growing - I saw some signs yipee.  Some colour to the verge, some beautiful grasses with long slender feathery flowers  where looking wonderful.

Then one sunny June morning some idiots turn up employed by Wigan Council and drive up and down on a sit on monster of a gas guzzling mower and rolled over the lot!!  And this is on a part of the borough that they don’t own!!! Hey what on earth is going on!  We don’t own it, can’t put bins on it but we’ll roll all over it with a massive mower!!  I wouldn’t care if they did a good job they where environmental thugs!!!  Tufts of grass left all over the place, no cuttings removed or mulched, mowed over small fir trees and almost all of the verge leaving dirty great big tire tracks all the way along The Line.

I’ve asked this question so many times why oh why can’t people like me receive some form of subsidy to properly take care of these areas of what could be outstanding natural beauty.  All this just at the time when insects and pollinators are needing good habitats to thrive in.

Why do I do it because not many other people care!!!

Any answers anyone?

Hiya to everyone who’s visited the site in the last 12 months it’s had 1,500 visits from all round the globe (I’ve posted my Google Analytics map on the right) - strange really I only started this as a personal “because I can type thing”.  Then the next thing you know I’m on TV, in magazines, the newspapers not to mention picking up the Community Environment last year award.

Anyway I’ve not posted for some time and thought I’d better fill people in on what’s been happening.

Well not a lot of gardening sadly just a lot of litter picking trying to keep the rubbish at bay.  Main problem, Subway wrappers dropped by some of the Standish High School children as they eat their breakfast sub on the way to school - grrr get’s on my nerves, and the powers that be at Standish High School never reply to emails which is even more annoying.

However I have a new little volunteer on the litter picking front, my 5 year old girl, she’s got her own litter picking device and seems to revel in tidying the place up.  We have been given an industrial size blue wheelie bin to collect in - which we fill at least once a month.

There is plenty signs of growth now from both the wild flower seeds and indeed the trees we planted last year, we lost about 6 tree out of 20 which is really good.  So everything in the garden is rosy so to speak.

So what’s next?

Hmm I’ve decided to plant random food type plants along the path, I have raspberry canes to go in, I planted a plum tree in the winter and intend to buy some apple and pear trees to plant up and down - and plant donations would be great, esp productive edible plants.

I’ve got to thinking that it’s all very well and good planting trees and tidying the place up - great, and it seems that so many people enjoy it, but why not make the land more productive?  So that’s what I’m going to do next, plant food! - but keep it quiet I don’t want a big song and dance made about it this time, let’s face it I haven’t done anything that amazing.

I have to say though I am looking forward to Google updating the maps for this area - then I’ll be able to see the brand new sand stone path running the full mile from the top of Standish to the bottom.

As soon as we see signs of wildflowers along the path I’ll post some pictures.

Happy gardening, guerilla or otherwise.

Dx