Wednesday 12th March 2025 - Old School Meadow, Gurnard GG #1021

Site map from Grow Gurnard

The dark green area is the SANG (see below) and the pale green area is Grow Gurnard

Terry's photos

Huge quantity of rotted woodchip

Rotted manure and more woodchip in the centre of the site

Alpaca fleece

Moving the form to the next area

Today we were helping the Grow Gurnard project in Cockleton Lane.  The site we were on is adjacent to Old School Meadow last visited a year ago.  Meadow View Park Development own the land and after building 400 homes nearby, they are obliged by planning to put in 2.5 km of permissive pathways and 6000 native trees as "rewilding".  Grow Gurnard is a community project that now manages part of this site, with the remainder designated a SANG (Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace) - see link below.    

Over the last weekend, a large number of whips had been planted along the boundaries and one of our tasks was to put spiral tree guards around them.  Further to the north of the site, fruit trees had been planted and we were asked to surround each one with wire to protect against rabbits and the local dog population.

However, the main task of the day was to create vegetable plots.  A wooden form had been made which ensured that the beds were the same size.  A no-dig approach has been chosen, so initially a large quantity of cardboard was laid down on top of the grass.  Then layers of old, rotting woodchip, well rotted manure, alpaca fleece (all locally sourced) and then a further layer of woodchip were laid down within the form.  On completion of the bed, the form was then lifted and moved to the next spot and the process repeated.

What is a SANG? Q&A with Joe Heath - The Land Trust

Thank you to Terry for the photos and to Jane Popov, Project Leader, for the flapjacks.