Big news folks! Although we are still a little way short of our fundraising target, at the end of February we completed the tender process and selected our preferred supplier. It’s the same supplier as the one providing equipment for Greaves Park, Kompan. You can see their proposed design in the image above (click on it to make it huge!). Although work could begin on installing the new equipment in June that would put us out of action over the long summer holidays so we’ve decided to delay installation until September. This gives us enough time to hold another fundraising event and to try to minmise the amount of reserve funds we have to spend from the Fairfield Association’s bank account. Thank you to everyone who has donated or helped in anyway to get us to this point. If you feel like you can still make a donation to get us over the line then please hit the Donate button at the top right of this page or if that doesn’t process your particular bank, try this link instead.
Category: Community
‘Wildlife in North Lancashire 2023’ magazine – hot off the press
The excellent magazine of the North Lancashire Wildlife Group has just been published, packed full of interesting observations and reports of conservation activities in this area. To add to the interest, this issue includes an article about the Fairfield Association.
The cost of the magazine is £3 – please contact Hilary Short (hilarydee57@gmail.com) if you would like a copy.
FA Website/Blog update
The FA website will be undergoing a ‘refresh’ soon, likely to be next weekend. While this won’t involve any changes in how you use the blog, it will involve a change in:
- The page that is first shown when you visit the blog;
- The navigation/menubar.
Part of the rationale for making this change is the intention to use the blog as the primary means of announcing events and volunteering information, as well as for reporting wildlife sightings.
We will be creating a quick, downloadable step-by-step guide to using the blog, so if anyone would like to register who isn’t already registered, please email fairfieldassociation2014 AT gmail DOT com to request access.
Many thanks!
FA Web Admin
Fairfield Playground Fundraiser!
Fairfield Playground has been well-used for years – now it’s time to give it back some love! It’s the hub of the community, but having been enjoyed by generations, it’s reaching the point where it will soon be condemned.
We’ve already raised £35,500, but we’re still £14,000 short of being able to complete the project.
Let’s not only save this well-loved community space but also make it an area we can all be proud of. Watch our YouTube video to hear people explaining why it means so much to them and what we’re hoping to do.
Have a look at the flyer to find out how you can contribute to our fundraising effort or go straight to the Fairfield Online Shop to pick an item from the playground shopping list.
If you’d prefer to just make a donation and don’t need a Gift Certificate, please use our Charity donation page.
Wildlife Recording Showcase at Brockholes Nature Reserve, March 17th
For anyone interesting in learning more about recording wildlife, here’s some info received from the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside about an event taking place soon at the Brockholes Nature Reserve in Preston. You can find details of how to book by selecting the link to the flyer below.
We’d like to invite you to our ‘Wildlife Recording Showcase’ on Saturday 17th March 2018 at Brockholes Nature Reserve in Preston. This event is aimed at beginners and longstanding recorders, recording groups and community groups who want to find out about recording wildlife and get some help when recording in Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester. Please see the attached poster for more information.
This event is being held jointly by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s Local Groups Project & the Biodiverse Society.
We are currently taking bookings for the event which includes a free lunch! We have limited spaces, so book soon to avoid disappointment! It will also be advertised wider including on Facebook, so feel free to share the event.
The day will include 10 minute presentation slots by local naturalists that will answer questions such as ‘How do I record Beetles?’, ‘I’m interested in the Bats on my local park, how can I get involved in recording these?’, or ‘I just don’t know how to start!’.
There will also be some information stands of local recording groups where you can meet extremely knowledgeable recorders. We have limited space but if you have an opportunity for recording on your local patch, please bring along some information to engage the recorders. If you are bringing more than just leaflets or posters, please let me know in advance so I can make sure we have space for you.
If you would like to book a place, please get in touch before Friday 9th March, confirming your name, the group you are representing and any dietary requirements you have. Places are limited, so book early to avoid disappointment.
LWT Wildlife Recording Showcase Flyer
Scything course last weekend
Note some familiar Fairfield faces among the reapers!
Fireworks over Fairfield
Fell Ponies
Ascot and Bee will be leaving tomorrow (Good Friday) after a first attempt at grazing rushes. They have clearly been eating clumps of rush round the edges of Big Meadow even if the overall rush coverage hasn’t changed a great deal. They have also been much admired for their decorative qualities and their occasional displays of teenage athleticism… and they have provided a useful source of manure for some of Fairfield’s gardeners. The FA will be discussing the experiment next month and will hope to decide whether pony grazing would be useful again next winter, perhaps at a slightly different time or even with larger numbers. In the meantime many thanks to their owner, Nicola Evans and to all the volunteers who kept an eye on them every day. They have been in good health throughout, and the picture shows Bee discussing with her vet last Friday the pros and cons of her annual flu and tetanus injection. The vet persuaded her to go for it.
More pony grooming
A return visit last Friday (19 February) with volunteers who’d not been able to join us the previous week. Bee and Ascot were more willing to be caught than last time (though Bee was busy with a mouthful of rushes and needed coaxing to join us), and seemed pleased with the renewed attention (see picture of Bee dozing peacefully). And yes, they are definitely eating the rush – perhaps because it’s colder and there’s less grass to go at, perhaps they’ve only just realised how tasty it is? They’ve got a long way to go, but you can see some chewed off tufts if you look.
A Successful Day at the Green Fair
Thanks to Ruth and Mandy with help from Helen Easton and Sue Nieduszynska, we made over £650 at the Green Fair last Saturday. The calendars were especially popular and will now be showing the passage of 2015 in Holland, America, Russia and New Zealand. From Ruth ” We had lots of lovely comments from people who enjoy using the nature reserve/s and orchard. People came to the stall who I have never met before, who are not Members, but said how much they appreciate it.” We have made useful contacts and may have gained extra volunteers. Well done to Ruth and Mandy.