Urban Green Shoots

For anyone interested in trying something green this summer, or regular volunteers who love helping care for their green spaces, Urban Green Shoots has plenty of opportunities coming up across Cornwall this August.

• 1^st Tincombe Kids Session, Saltash 10am – 3pm
• 8^th Thanckes Park Kids Session, Torpoint 10am – 3pm
• 19^th Thankes Park Community Event - contact for details
• 22^nd Intro to Botany, Saltash 10am – 3pm
• 27^th Intro to Trees, Torpoint 10am – 3pm

Helston, King George V Playing Field 2nd, 30th August and the Cemetery on 9th August.

Please contact volunteers@cormacltd.co.uk for more information on any of these opportunities.

One of Urban Green Shoots core aims is to support communities and individuals in gaining a deeper connection with nature, not just by creating green sanctuaries that are free and accessible at the heart of some of Cornwall’s most deprived communities but also by running free volunteering sessions that give people of any interest and ability the opportunity to learn skills in gardening for wildlife.

Now that the project has live and completed sites across Cornwall, there are a whole host of locations and dates coming up this summer.

Below you can find the dates and locations for July.

July

• 1st Castle Park, Liskeard 10am – 12pm
• 2^nd Intro to Botany, Torpoint 10am – 3pm
• 4^th Sungirt Valley, Liskeard 12:30pm – 1:30pm
• 9^th Intro to Trees, Saltash 10am – 3pm
• 15^th Thanckes Park, Torpoint 10am – 12pm
• 18^th Castle Park, Liskeard 10am – 12pm
• 22^nd Tincombe, Saltash 10am – 12pm
• 25^th Knights Way contact us for times
• 30^th Treskirby contact us for times

Tools are provided in all sessions, but please wear clothing and footwear suitable for gardening.

If you would like to find out more, please contact Volunteers@cormacltd.co.uk

Join our green fingered gang at Gwavas every third Friday of the month from April to November 2024.

Sessions will run from 10am to 1pm and you can drop in to do as much as you can, or like.

Dates are:

• 19th April
• 17th May
• 19th July
• 1th August
• 20th September
• 18th October
• 15th November

Meet at the entrance https://what3words.com/positives.mentioned.icebergs

All equipment is provided and you do not need to commit to the entire session.

Please dress in robust footwear and clothing suitable for being outdoors and the weather!

Contact: Becky, Cormac’s urban ranger

Email: volunteers@cormacltd.co.uk

Mobile: 07796 996351

Pupils from Alverton Primary School, Penzance got into the gardening grove on 5th March, helping to create a more biodiverse green space at Gwavas play area, Newlyn.

The group, which included 24 children and 3 teachers, were supported by the landscape team from CORMAC to plant a rich bed of shrubs, flowers and herbaceous plants. They learnt about what a plant needs to survive, as well as top tips to manage them, such as applying a think layer of woodchip mulch to keep the soil moist and reduce weeds.

Great team work everyone! Happy gardening!

Join us for a fun-packed day helping to care for a vital community asset at Gwavas play area, Newlyn on 14th February 2024.

A partnership between Helston Climate Action Group, Helston Town Council and Coastline Housing is transforming Helston's Coronation Gardens with the help of volunteers passionate about their community and wildlife.

New dates have been announced for volunteer sessions throughout 2024, which will help make sure that the new wildlife friendly planting, including a new orchard, establish well and can thrive to be there long into the future.

Volunteers from the local community helped sow a wildflower meadow at the Ponsandane approach to Penzance on Thursday 20th December.

The activity, which was led-by CORMAC as part of Cornwall Council's new Urban Green Shoots project, was strongly supported by the Penzanace and Newlyn Community Flora Groups as well as Penzance Mayor Cllr Stephen Reynolds.

Overall, 1,700 meters squared of previously species-low grass verge was restored into a species-rich meadow grassland which should be awash with colour, and the pollinating insects the flowers will support, from spring/summer 2024.

The wildflower verge will create a much more welcoming visual aesthetic for residents and visitors to Penzance, helping in the Council's longer-term strategy to make better use of the land around our roads for nature recovery.

Cornwall Council’s Natural Environment Service is delighted to announce the start of a brand-new initiative to bring more biodiversity to the heart of Cornwall’s towns.

Urban Green Shoots is aimed at bringing nature closure to the communities most at need to address the inequality that deprived communities throughout Cornwall are often least able to access nature-rich spaces.

The declaration of the climate emergency and ecological emergency highlights a clear need to improve the wildlife value of multiple areas within Cornwall. There is also a need to increase the quality of green spaces within towns and what they offer to people. There is a need for these green spaces to provide pollinator habitat, shade, an increase in valuable flood protection and pollution control, to make town greenspaces more attractive and interesting places to relax and spend time, to help local communities increase their use of greenspaces in order to contribute to healthy living.

The sites will have a range of new planting, access improvements and habitat features installed, with details being made available on-site or via this project Let’s Talk Platform as plans develop.

If you are green-fingered or would just like to get involved with caring for your local area, you will be able to get involved with new Green Gardening Groups for the enhanced spaces from early 2024.