Last Sunday was another lovely day of events at JVS. The morning was spent with the lovely gardening club volunteers, ably led by Simone. We arrived with our vegetable seedlings, which had been lovingly cared for at home over the past few months. As it was planting day for our seedlings, it was heartening to note their progress had been amiably chatted about on WhatsApp, and they were destined for the JVS garden's raised beds. Simone had prepared a detailed vegetable bedding plan, showing what vegetable plants would go where, depending on the amount of space needed and the height of each plant. She explained how to plant different vegetable seedlings, and how to prepare the ground for planting, including weeding and mulching. Using JVS’s home-made compost, we planted tomatoes, courgettes, nasturtium flowers and tied canes, so we could string up the runner and french beans. It was great being productive as a group and amazing to see how much we accomplished in one session! For me, the best bit is knowing that we all play a vital part in making the JVS garden once again, a flourishing space for everyone to enjoy. I’d just like to add a huge thank you to Simone for her continued commitment and dedication - and her generous spirit of sharing her gardening knowledge. The afternoon was spent in a busy and enjoyable screen-printing session, run by Judith. We watched with interest as she placed her objects of interest (plants, leaves, cut outs) onto paper, then placed a fine gauze mesh over the top in the centre of each design and, having applied a paint colour of choice to the top of the mesh, she then glided a squeegee firmly over the mesh, leaving colour and design of your choice underneath. Despite the limited time frame, we tried to replicate her teachings in our own artwork, and there was lots of support and creativity between the group. By the end of the afternoon, everyone produced at least one piece of artwork to take home. It was so good to see all the different designs and people’s personalities reflected in their finished prints - and a great opportunity to learn new skills and celebrate our own and each other's achievements. Well done to all concerned!
Many thanks to Alison for this write up and huge gratitude to Simone and Judith for facilitating these fabulous sessions.