LALESTON & BROADLANDS
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Special Birthday Greetings: All former line dancers at the United Reform Church before the Covid pandemic wish Instructor Barbara Sherwood a very Happy Birthday on Fridday, January 28.
We all miss the great social evenings but unfortunately for various reasons the church's ‘upstairs' room is still not available for hire!
Cycling in the Borough: There is a lot of discussion in the news at the moment regarding cyclists, their rights and pathways, but it is noticed that in several cases where there is a path provided for them, cyclists still prefer to use the main roads, sometimes with dangerous potholes !
Laleston Gardening Club: The most recent Committee Meeting of Laleston Gardening Club took place on Tuesday, January 18.
With the gradual easing of Covid restrictions the decision was taken to reopen the Club shop this Saturday January 29.
The usual Covid restrictions will still be in place and only one customer will be allowed in the shop at any one time.
As an alternative the Click & Collect system that operated last year will be reintroduced for any more cautious customers.
A number of the regular users of the Club will be allowed to resume small scale activities at Cliff Cottage as we enter Alert Level Zero from the first week of February.
Larger gatherings will be put on hold until new windows have been installed in the main hall to improve the ventilation.
The reopening of the shop will be welcomed by our members, it as played an increasingly important part in the life of the Club and most of its success is due to Dennis Roberts, the Shop Manager.
Dennis has overseen the shop's development from when it was housed on the upper floor of Cliff Cottage, to then with the help of grant funds, when the old store shed was redeveloped and converted into the shop it is today all under the management of Dennis. It has now gone from strength to strength.
A number of other matters were discussed including the movement toward peat-free compost within the horticultural industry.
Sue Ford, Chairman, had been researching this topic as she felt we should be in an informed position in order to be able to advise our membership.
Preparations for the Plant Sale in May are at an advanced stage and a considerable amount of money has been spent on seeds, plants, pots and compost so it is important that the sale is a success.
The Plant Sale team have themselves been shocked by the way prices have gone through the roof.
It was emphasised that the Club must be realistic with prices of plants this year and members will have to be made aware of general cost increases.
Plants will cost more this year, but our usual high quality plants will still be reasonably priced and good value in comparison to large retailers
Finally, and with regret, David Oates announced he would be standing down from the Committee with immediate effect.
David said with his age and health he was no longer able to contribute in the way that he would wish.
David has been a stalwart of our Club for many, many years having served as Treasurer for 10 years and Chairman for a year.
The Chairman and Secretary both paid David a warm tribute which was followed by a spontaneous round of applause.