WHAT WE DO
Enabling - Green Legacy Guernsey supplies trees and plants, free of charge, for locations accessible to the public, both resident and visiting. It uses the OPALS (TM) scale < Link for further reading> which is a guide to allergy-friendly species and helps to determine which plants to use (See SAFE Gardening).
This philosophy is significant to Green Legacy Guernsey's plant selection process. Nigel believes that it is essential to ensure that Guernsey residents who may be living in close proximity to new plants are not effected by unnecessary, adverse pollen-related health problems. It is equally important to ensure that visitors to the island, going to public places during their stay, are not affected either.
Green Legacy Guernsey enables the island schools' gardening clubs and parish Floral Guernsey groups to plant trees and plants on public land. These are provided free of charge from Queux Plant Centre with the money raised from workshops held at the Plant Centre and donations to Green Legacy Guernsey.
Nigel works with the parish Douzaines (parish Councils) and the parish Floral Guernsey Groups to identify suitable sites which Green Legacy Guernsey can help to plant SAFE-ly. Some of the projects Green Legacy Guernsey has enabled ........
From the start of 2013, Living Streets, La Societe Guernesiaise, Community Service and Green Legacy Guernsey have joined forces in the Living Streets Baubigny Schools Pathway Enhancement Programme. Pat Wisher of Living Streets informs that one of the main aims of the pedestrian safety group is to encourage more children to walk to school for the health and social benefits. They are also keen to develop safe routes to schools using off road footpaths. In September 2010 Living Streets managed to open up the Baubigny Schools pathway which gives childres living in St. Peter Port North a beautiful virtually traffic free route through the green lung between St. Peter Port and St. Sampson to their schools at Baubigny. Children from the Bouet area use the existing footpath to the Bowl and the green lane behind the Bowl and then take a short cut along the edge of an 8 acre vinery site into the back of the school campus. The new earth banks delineating the Living Streets pathway through the vinery site have been enhanced with over 600 hawthorn saplings with the help of The Men of the Trees. It takes abount 15 minutes to walk from Beetons fish and chip shop to the back of the school.
When Living Streets first opened the Baubigny Schools pathway, children entered the buildings through the schools' back gates. More recently, however, owing to logistical problems, children have had to use the Prison Road which was not ideal. With the help of the Education Department we have now been able to provide an alternative way of entering the schools by developing a pathway around the football pitch. The three minute walk around the football pitch now enables pupils to enter the car park and join their friends at the front of the school. The safety group is now embarking on a major enhancement programme of the whole area.
Tom Le Pelley, Chairman, Living Streets is out in all weathers to help plant trees
Nigel Clarke of Green Legacy Guernsey and Vic Froome of La Societe Guernesiaise have designed an exciting planting scheme which will not only delineate the pathway and provide shelter from the wind, but also enhance the whole area. 3,500 trees and shrubs will be planted between now and the end of February 2014.
Nigel Clarke From Green Legacy Guernsey
The vision of the area nearest the car park is for an "outside learning area" with a mini woodland and a picnic area (where parents can wait for their children). The plants and trees will provide an edible orchard for both humans and wildlife. There will be possibilities for curricular activities including chemistry, science, history (of plants), cookery and reatil (children using the fruit for jellies and chutneys to sell to the public).
The list of trees include wild cherry, crab apple, bird cherry, wild pear, damson and domestice fruiting such as cooking apple, eating plum, pear and cherry. Also it is intended to plant a mix of raspberry, blackcurrant, redcurrant, white currant and gooseberry. Other trees will include rowan, whitebeam, rubis, dog rose and guilder rose. The safety group wants the children to connect with nature and for them to learn lessons that they need when they leave school.
Living Streets has undertaken the task of finding the funds for the planting scheme and 50% of the costs have already been pledged by Tony Creasey for the M&S plastic bag fund.
One of The Many Trees Planted In All Weathers By Volunteers
This is a huge community effort with pupils, parents, teachers, members of the public, La Societe Guernesiaise, Commuinity Service and JLT Insurance Managment (Guernsey) Limited helping to plant trees and shrubs. Extending the pathway into the school car park now means that members of the public will be able to connect with our pathway through the vinery sight (and onwards to Admiral Park) - thus reinstating a right of way which existed before the schools were built.
Vic Froome has been involved with La Societe Guernesaise as Secretary of the Ornithological Section and the RSPB for 55 years and became involved in the Baubigny Schools project though his work with the barn owls and nest boxes for the many types of birds and Vic was instrumental in introducing the bird boxes with mini cameras inside to the many nature enthusiasts, including schools, in Guernsey.
Nigel Clarke of Green Legacy Guernsey and Vic Froome met up when Nigel wanted to learn more about birds and both have a passion for nature and were both invited to work with Living Streets on the Baubigny Schools pathway enhancement programme. Bird boxes have been erected around the schools and it was a big occasion when two massive telegraph poles were hauled into place, and placed on top were barn owl boxes which has been a home to barn owls and even a pair of kestrels have bred.
Vic Froome Has Been Very Instrumental In Erecting Bird Boxes Around The Baubigny Schools
Vic Froome
Another group which assists on the project is Community Service. The probation Service administers the Community Service Scheme. Community Service is the name given to a sentence which can be imposed by all the Bailiwick's Courts which allows an offender the opportunity to do unpaid work, normally as an alternative to a custodial sentence. The Community Service was introduced in the Bailiwick in 2007 but it is an important and well-established community-based sentence which has been used in the United Kingdom since 1977 and Jersey since 1982. Placement beneficiaries must either be charitable or other non-profit making organisations. Community Service is performed by offenders, either working on an individual basis and reporting directly to a beneficiary, or as part of a supervised work party group supervised by Probation Service supervisors.
Community Service Are Involved In The Living Streets Project
March 2014 - First Phase Planting Now Completed Using 20 Tonne of Compost/Mulch, 2,000 Mixed Native Plants And Hundreds of Man Hours!
Rain Or Shine Valerie Loaring & Community Services Are Assisting Living Streets At St Sampson's High
One of the features at St. Sampson's High Living Streets Project are the bug castles which have been created and introduced by Vic Froome. Just like our gardens are homes to a wide range of living creatures so are many other areas. An average garden could hold over 2,000 different species of insect! With all this diversity of life it is good to know that very few creatures cause significant damage to our prized flowers, fruit and vegetables. Even better, there are many more creatures that help us control the pests. By providing the right habitats we can greatly increase the number of beneficial insects in our area. Some wild invertebrates, such as bumblebees and solitary bees, are declining in numbers in the wider countryside, so by proving homes we can contribute to their conservation in numbers in the wider countryside, so by providing homes we can contribute to their conservation.
The Insect Hotel in the picture is built entirely from recycled materials. The main structure is discarded pallets, and much of the additional wood is the product of routine woodland management operations. Old pallets are used for the basic structure. The habitat does not need to be more than 5 pallets high. By placing the bottom pallet upside down, this creates larger openings at the ends, which can be used for a hedgehog house. The gaps are filled with dead wood which is essential for the larvae of wood-boring beetles. It supports many fungi, which help break down the woody material. Crevices under the bark hold centipedes and woodlice. Holes are homes for solitary bees and by filling the gaps with straw and hay this provides many opportunities for invertebrates to burrow in and find safe hibernation. The Insect Hotel has many different types of crannies and crevices that different species can hide in.
One Of The Bug Hotels Introduced By Vic Froome
It is with great pleasure that we can announce that the Living Streets St. Sampson's High School Project was officially opened on Friday April 4th 2014. A number of the States of Deliberation were present along with those who have been involved in the project. A wonderful achievement by a special group of people.
The Opening Ceremony On Friday April 4th 2014
LIVING STREETS BAUBIGNY WALK PROJECT TAKES THE TOP PRIZE AT THE INSURANCE CORPORATION CONSERVATION AWARDS ON 18TH JUNE 2014 AT LES COTILS
CELEBTRATING THE AWARD FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ARE VIC FROOME, VALERIE LOARING, TOM LE PELLEY, PAT WISHER, NIGEL CLARKE & JOAN OZANNE
Update On Living Streets Project January 2015
2015 has already proved to be a busy start at the Living Streets Project as volunteers have taken away the tree guards from around the young trees and shrubs. Conditions proved to be wintry and muddy on the Saturday mornings that the volunteers got together and planted 20 Acer October Glory deciduous trees, but enthusiasm was not dampened. As the photograph above shows the latest Acer tree plantings were planted with the addition of a plastic tree shield and bamboo to get them off to a good start. By Autumn 2015, the trees will be producing gorgeous autumn colours.
The photograph above shows volunteers Joan Le Gallais, Nigel Clarke and Valerie Loaring planting the 20 Acer October Glory trees on Saturday January 10th 2015
Update From Andrew Courtney of Floral St Saviour regarding Sous L'Eglise December 2014
We are delighted that The Green Legacy Project has supported us again in this meadow, having previously supplied native trees and scrubs to help us create an under-storey to attract birds into the meadow as well as Crab Apple and Wild Pear trees to create a wood. This time Green Legacy has provided over 500 Hawthorn and Crab Apple trees, complete with supports and anti-rabbit protection, to line the slopes of the newly created earth ramp . This is both attractive to wildlife and helps protect the vulnerable slopes from people!
July 2008 - Sous L'Eglise, Auberge du Val, St. Saviours - this land was designated a green island by Green Legacy Guernsey. The classification is the first of its kind in Guernsey. The glebe land was a perfect site for plants to be supplied by Green Legacy Guernsey for one of its very first projects. Green Legacy Guernsey planted a selection of plants including Hawthorn, Sloes and 2,000 Bluebells with the help of volunteers.
March 2009 - The Floral St Peters Group asked Green Legacy Guernsey to provide 24 trees for La Croix Cemetery to create a natural barrier between what will become a burial site and vehicle access. Fifty-four pupils from La Houguette School planted the trees. Each tree bears the name of the children who planted it.
December 2009 - A community tree planting took place in St. Peters to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the evacuation from Guernsey of 20,000 islanders, prior to occupation by German forces at the start of World War II. Green Leagacy Guernsey supplied 70 indigineous trees and a further understory of 70 native plants.