“Congratulations! I am delighted to inform you that following this months Grant Committee meeting, you have been awarded a grant from Keep Wales Tidy.”

Woo and indeed hoo! Pond, hedge and compost bins here we come.

(Also, please continue to pray for us as we take significant steps forward. I get a little anxious (understatement!) at times and need to know that God is in control. Thanks.)

I would like to be able to concentrate my efforts and energy on this project full time.  In order to do this, the ideal solution would be to find funding for a small salary and thus be in a position to quit my current  job.  Accessing streams of  grant funding could be less than ideal, however, as awarding bodies may wish to place conditions on any salary they fund.  This has not been a problem with requests for equipment etc, but is far more likely in the field of employing staff. 

Consequently, I would prefer to approach God’s people to request financial support.  This blog entry is really my way of dipping the first of my toes in the water.  If I have sufficient positive response to this, and other feelers I will be putting out, then I will feel able to follow it up.  So, with a little discomfort in asking, I have a question for you WibFriends.

Would any of you be willing and able to support me in this endeavour?

You need make no more commitment at this stage than a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ in the comments box.  Any comments will obviously have their e-mail addresses attached and I will follow up any positive replies with more details via e-mail at a later date.

The other thing I would ask of you all is to pray for us as I consider this step.  I suppose it would be called ‘living by faith’, but at times it feels more like ‘taking a risk’ and ’scrounging from friends’!  It is not something to take lightly and believe me when I say that I am seeking real guidance with each step.

Thanks for your support, WibFolk, it helps!

Thanks.

The raised bed materials, formerly at the side of our house, have now been turned into the raised beds. The green manure seeds have been sown and are currently growing into some rather lovely grazing rye plants. We have also sown some wild flower mix, with the intention of attracting bees and butterflies to the plots in the spring. We now have a lovely flagstone path leading to the shed, which currently contains the materials for making the greenhouse.
Our key volunteers have recently gained certificates in First Aid, which is lovely for them. Environmental Chris has now got a full time job locally, which is really good for him as our funding for his work had ended. He is enjoying being part of the project, tho, and intends to continue to support what we do.

In terms of forward planning, we need to complete the paths and also to get the greenhouse erected. Naturally, the next few months will see the sowing of seeds and hopefully being able to bring some of them on in the greenhouse. We also have the arduous task of ensuring that the funding we gained last spring is spent on the items we outlined before the deadline in March 2010.
Other important plans are for the forthcoming Annual General Meeting (scheduled for Feb/March) and for raising awareness of the project. We hope to gain support from the local Christian community, in terms of prayer and perhaps volunteers and finance. We also need to publicise the project amongst potential service-users.

All we need now is for the snow to thaw thoroughly in order to get back to the allotment!

Work begins on the base

Hmm, it would seem that technology prevents me from posting any more pics than that rather fine one of Environmental Chris.  Rest assured, the shed is practically finished.  Once we have got hold of a long enough ladder, we will be able to put the final trim on and it will be done, dusted and waterproof.  (Please be praying that the roof does not blow away in the meantime.  Seriously, I just had a phone call from the Allotment Sec warning me of this while typing the blog post.)

Other progress has been in the form of some lovely crops – a bountiful amount of spuds, lettuce and radish, plus our first pickings of cabbage and courgette in recent weeks.  We also managed to harvest a few blackcurrants too. Mmmm.  The sweetcorn are looking promising and the rather bizarre looking Jerusalem Artichokes planted very early this year have done a brilliant job of growing into a very effective windbreak.

The raw materials for the raised beds currently occupy a fair amount of space at the side of our house and we have other items in our garage and at the plot itself awaiting the opportunity to become pathways – both of paving slabs and of woodchip on membrane.  Some organic grazing rye seeds delivered the other day are in a box in the back room for the time being.  We plan to sow them this coming Thursday in order to form ground cover over the winter.  Come the spring, the resulting plants will be cut down and dug into the plot to add nutrients.  This is known as the process of adding green manure – clever, eh?

Other matters have progressed regarding raising awareness of  and support for our work, as well as moving towards a time (alebeit slowly) when we will be able to take referrals for people to attend the allotment as therapy.  Watch this space and I will tell you more details . . . I may even be able to find a way to add the shed photos too!

Yes, you’ve guessed it, our grant application was successful.

Now I really need to get my backside in gear in order to co-ordinate the obtaining and installing of various items of equipment and structures.  First thinngs first, get the Trustees together for a meeting to discuss our priorities.  (Thanks to those who prayed for the last Trustees meeting.  We finally got together on 6th March and had a very productive time.  Prayers for more of the same, please!)

I am both excited and nervous – I feel like this is a big step for Sustaining Life, and for little me.

Help! / Yippee! (In approx equal measure.)

Also, the Trustees meeting had to be re-scheduled. We are now planning to meet on Friday 6th March. Please pray that it does not get postponed again, as this would be the third time.

Thanks.

Now all we need is a successful funding bid so we can pay him!

Okay, so that is more than a bit of a paraphrase, but yesterday I finished a grant application for a substantial amount from a Trust Fund and handed it over to the helpful Communities First worker, Lisa.  She should have added the finishing touches and put it in the post today.  So, the waiting begins.

A successful application will result in us being donated sufficient money to put a large greenhouse, shed and some raised beds on the top plot.  Also, we will have enough cash for some more tools and equipment, plus we will be able to lay some paving down and edge the veg beds. 

The most exciting thing, from my point of view, is the fact that we were encouraged to bid for the means to pay someone to provide training.  In effect, this means that we would be able to employ someone to lead a three hour allotment session per week (currently led by myself or the volunteers). If this goes through, then I have it in mind to approach Chris from BTCV (remember him?) and offer him first refusal.  I bumped into him in the supermerket last week, after not being able to get in touch with him since his contract ended earlier this year, to find that he is at a loose end and in danger of retreating from S Wales completely.  As he was such a great asset to the area when he worked here, I would like to at least offer him some incentive to stay.  I would be very happy indeed if we were able to take him on, as he has extensive experience in leading community allotment projects already, as well as being an all round Good Bloke.

So, there you have it.  Prayers for grants to be granted, please!

Btw, the new pic at the top is from the Big Dig.

In that time we collected a rented, flat bed Transit and moved the best part of a tonne (at least) of rotted manure from a friend’s of a friend’s manure collection. We’ve moved around a quarter of his pile and will be back in the future for more – funds permiting.

That may take a little time as we have almost exhausted our bank account – yes we now have one. So as well as looking for specific grants to fund a greenhouse, shed etc we also need to begin thinking of ways of raising more funds. So if anyone has any ideas please let us know.

Tomorrow we have 2 volunteers spreading the muck and we have to clean the truck and return it. If there is time we’ll help with the spreading.

Many thanks to Dan for the driving of his dumper, his JCB and giving up his Saturday morning. Thanks to the Rev P (our treasurer) for letting Dan off household chores to help. Thanks to Brian for supplying us with free poo and tea. Thanks to Paul for giving up his Saturday to help us and buying us lunch (we forgot to give your money back) and offering to give up his Sunday afternoon to spread muck. Thanks also to Dave who will also be spreading much tomorrow afternoon.