Welcome to the first Fairfield e-News Bulletin. It’s a short summary of what has happened over the previous two months along with news about upcoming events and activities. We plan to publish future bulletins every two months or so.
Big news
From over a thousand entries the Fairfield Association recently made it to the final four in one of the categories in the BBC Make a Difference Awards for the Radio Lancashire area.
We will find out if we have won at the awards ceremony on Saturday 13 September. Thank you to everyone who has baked a cake, pruned an apple tree or attended an event in the last year. We really couldn’t do it without you.
Recent events
Open Yardens
The “Open Yardens” weekend on 21-22 June, organised by Jon Barry, was a great success, despite the wet weather. Twenty-four yardens of all shapes and sizes were open and raised £1200 for the Fairfield Association. A big thank you to all those who took part.
Wildflower Meadows Exhibition
To coincide with the weekend, the Storey hosted another showing of our Wildflower Meadows Exhibition exploring how meadows were recreated at the Reserve.
Nature Reserve and Orchard
Lucy Brook Restoration
We have an exciting new project to create a wetland corridor alongside the existing course of Lucy Brook with extra ponds and channels and wetland herbs and shrubs. This new area would provide cover for small mammals and birds, encourage insects such as damselflies and dragonflies and provide a food source for predators such as tawny and barn owls.
Tell us your views
The more people that show support for the project, the bigger the chances of our getting funding. Please tell us what you think by emailing or leaving a comment on the Lucy Brook Restoration Project webpage.
iNaturalist
We have recently set up a Fairfield Nature Reserve project on iNaturalist. This records all the wildlife observations made on the Reserve by people who use the free app. So far there are over 350 different species recorded!
You can see all the observations on the Fairfield iNaturalist project page.
We also have a short guide on how to use the iNaturalist app and website.
Playground
Andrew Brennand has applied for funding to help with the cost of replacement benches for the playground and we hope to have news soon.
Cycle Hub
Mike Stevens successfully applied for funding from Avanti towards another cycle hub and they have very generously given £7388 for another hangar, bicycle stand, bicycle tools and pump, bollard and signage. We are now just waiting for Lancashire County Council to approve the planning application.
Future events
Triangle Summer Fair
The Triangle Summer Fair is back! It will take place on Saturday 9 August between 12-4 pm. If you can help on the day please email to let us know.
Donations of books, games, homemade cakes etc all gratefully accepted from 11 am onwards on the day, or the evening before at 61 Regent Street.
Apple Day
Apple Day will take place this year on 4 October. Time to be confirmed.
Volunteer work party sessions
- These take place every Wednesday between 9:30 am and 1 pm.
- There are also Saturday sessions once a month. Next ones are 9 August and 13 September between 10 am and 1 pm.
- Everyone is welcome. Just let Rebekah know beforehand if you plan to come by emailing
Website
We have recently added:
- a new section about the hedges we manage including an interactive map
- a beginners guide to Snipe and Jack Snipe – two of the most important birds to visit the Nature Reserve
- a ‘Gardening for Wildlife’ strand to the blog – the first article explores ‘What’s in my yarden?‘
Meetings
AGM
The Fairfield Association AGM is at 7:30 pm on Tuesday 23 September in the Auditorium at The Storey. Full details, any updates and the agenda will be posted on the 2025 AGM calendar entry.
Monthly meeting
There is no monthly meeting in August. The next meeting will take place at 7:30 pm on Tuesday 21 October at the Tite & Locke. Everyone is welcome.
More details
You can always find more information about what is going on in the Current Meeting Information section of the website which has agendas and minutes for all recent meetings.
The online calendar contains dates and times for all meetings, volunteer sessions, special events and Triangle activities.