This is the web edition of the print newsletter being delivered to houses in the area this month.
BBC Make a Difference Awards
From over a thousand entries, we are delighted that the Fairfield Association has been selected as a finalist in the BBC Make a Difference Awards 2025. We’ll find out if we’ve won at an awards ceremony on Saturday 13th September. Thank you to everyone who has baked a cake, pruned a tree or attended an event over the last year — we really couldn’t do it without you. Although the Awards recognise our efforts in the last year, it is also an acknowledgement of everything our supporters have done over the last three decades (yes, we started in 1996!)
Fairfield Cycle Hub
Following the success of the cycle hangar we installed last year, Avanti West Coast have awarded us a grant to cover the cost of a second hangar, tool stand, pump and three ‘toast rack’-style bike stands for short-term use. Planning permission has been approved and they should be installed in the autumn. If you’d like to be added to the waiting list for a space, please email
Fairfield Playground update
Regular visitors to the playground will have noticed that the benches are starting to look a bit tired, so we are applying for grants to replace all nine. Depending on the outcome, we hope to get the new benches installed before Christmas. In the meantime, if you see anything that you think needs reporting at the playground, please email Andrew at .
Community events
Easter Egg Hunt
The annual Easter Egg Hunt took place in the Orchard in April — with live music, tea and cakes, face-painting, crafts, the traditional egg hunt and plenty of springtime fun.
Fairfield Festival
Many thanks to everyone who braved the chance of bad weather in May to come out and enjoy the Fairfield Festival. Despite an overcast and breezy day, much fun was had by all. Special thanks to all those who helped organise the event, our amazing performers, and our partners The Global Village Cafe, Beyond Radio and More Music.
Open Yardens
The Open Yardens weekend in June, organised by Jon Barry, was a great success, featuring 24 ‘yardens’ of all shapes and sizes. The event raised £1,200 for the Fairfield Association: thank you to all those who took part.
Triangle Summer Fair
There was a great turnout for the Aldcliffe Road Triangle Summer Fair in August, which raised nearly £700 for the upkeep of the space.
Apple Day
Our next event will be Apple Day in the Orchard on Saturday 4 October from 2-4pm. Come along for live music, children’s games, apple tasting and our famous Fairfield cakes. Volunteers are needed to help out on the day — if you can spare an hour or two, please email Veronica at .
Carol Singing
Carol Singing will take place on Christmas Eve. Meet outside Edenbreck Farmhouse at 5pm — all are welcome!
Nature Reserve Update
Lucy Brook
We have applied for funding to create a series of ponds alongside Lucy Brook in collaboration with Lancashire Wildlife Trust. We aim to increase biodiversity and therefore encourage more wildlife in this part of the reserve. For more information and a chance to express your views, go to the Lucy Brook Restoration Project webpage, or come along to the AGM on Tuesday 23 September.
iNaturalist
The Fairfield iNaturalist project is now live. This allows wildlife observations on the Reserve to be recorded using a free app. Over 390 species have already been recorded. To find out more and for a short guide on how to use the app to take part.
Mosquito Survey
For the second year we are taking part in a mosquito survey for the British Trust for Ornithology, mapping where they are present, the species, and whether any carry the usutu virus which is harmful to blackbirds.
Thanks
Meanwhile volunteers continue to work hard to keep the reserve looking good and the footpaths open. Many thanks to Rebekah and her team!
Join the Volunteers
Our volunteers regularly maintain and enhance the Nature Reserve. We meet at the Orchard Stump Circle on Wednesdays from 9.30am and the second Saturday of each month from 10.00am. If you would like to join us, email Rebekah Mulligan at . No previous experience is necessary; we are proud of our record of developing our volunteers’ skills, including hedge-laying, scything, fruit tree management and fencing.
Fairfield Calendar
We will be producing a calendar again this year as a fund-raiser and a celebration of the Fairfield green spaces. Please support us by emailing your photos (landscape format 300 ppi., around 3507 x 2480 pixels) to . Calendars will be available at the Green Christmas Fair on Saturday 22 November at St Thomas’s Church; details of how to buy from us directly will also be shared later in the autumn.
Share Your Fairfield Memories
Adrienne Wallman is applying to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant to support ‘Twenty Five Years of Fairfield Memories’. This project aims to record people’s stories and memories of all the Fairfield sites, including the Orchard, playground, Aldcliffe Road Triangle, and Pony Wood. Messages of support are being provided by Laurel Bank Care House, Alex House, Lancashire Wildlife Trust and hopefully Dallas Road Primary School; if you are able to contribute comments on how you use these spaces and why they are important to you, please email
Meetings and AGM
We will gather in the Music Room at the Storey Institute on Tuesday 23 September at 7.30pm for our Annual General Meeting. All are welcome to attend.
The next regular Fairfield Association meeting will take place on Tuesday 21 October at 7.30pm at the Tite & Locke. These monthly meetings are open to all, and newcomers are always welcome. Details of all our events and meetings are on the website calendar.
Support the Fairfield Association
Community Membership
Community membership is free: join up if you want to get involved and hear from us about news and events. Community Members now also receive an e-news bulletin every two months. Become a member.
Fairfield Friends
Fairfield Friends are members who make regular donations that provide our charity with a regular revenue stream.
Find out how to become a Friend, make a donation, or even leave us a legacy.
Already a Fairfield Friend? Your annual payment may be due. Our preferred method is by setting up a Standing Order, but you can also pay by cheque or BACS transfer. See all payment details and information.