Following the great success of Fordham and District Garden Club Sprouts - where we teach gardening basics and principles to Fordham School children (while having a lot of fun), we are proud to present the adult version:
Ready, Steady, Grow!
Our mission is to bring the joy of gardening to all segments of the community, from the youngest to the eldest. We have come to realise that whilst we cater for the experienced gardener, there is currently no specific help aimed at encouraging beginners or novice gardeners within the local area. Although we are by no means all experts, and many of our meetings are specifically aimed at learning, we understand that it can be intimidating for those with less gardening eperience to come along to club meetings on their own. Confidence can be a real issue for beginners and novice gardeners as there are so many things to know and so much potentially to go wrong.
In order to rectify this situation, we have created Ready, Steady, Grow! to encourage and inform people of all ages within the local area who would like to develop their gardening skills in a relaxed informal environment together with others of a similar level. Ready, Steady, Grow! is an informal gardening basics course delivered in six sessions over the course of a year. It is not an academic course of lectures and study, but an interactive series of discussions, demonstrations and questions and answers, aimed at teaching the basic principles of gardening, identifying the important tasks for the next two months, and most of all instilling the confidence to have a go and make the best of your plot.
Each session will involve a period of structured advice from a panel of three garden club experts, delivered in an informal and interactive way, practical demonstrations where relevant, a short break for people to get to know each other, share their experiences and develop their support network, and then a question and answer session. Sessions will begin at 7.00pm in order that we will be finished in time for those who wish to have a social drink in a pub afterwards. We estimate that the sessions will last between one and a half and two hours.
The panel will consist of Club Chairman Gavin Sadler, RHS trained professional Keren Goff, and Professional Kitchen Gardener Colin Scott. Between us we should have the expertise and experience to answer questions on all aspects of gardening, from vegetables and fruit to flowers, trees and shrubs. Sessions will be structured to coincide with the important growing periods within the year, in order to provide timely advice and help for the coming months.
The cost of attending Ready, Steady, Grow! is £20 for the whole year, and this includes full membership of Fordham and District Garden Club with all it's benefits, events and discounts (currently £15). For more details about club membership follow the "About the club" link on the home page. The first Ready, Steady, grow! session will take place on Wednesday January 19th 2011 at the Victoria Hall, Fordham at 7.00pm. Following sessions will be every two months on the third Wednesday of each month, i.e. March 16th, May 18th, July 20th, September 21st and November 16th.
Places may be limited so book your place now to avoid disappointment. To pre-register call Gavin Sadler on 01638 721585, or email on gps@icnow.eu. Early registration is appreciated to help us gauge the numbers and to save time registering on the night.
If you only make one New Year's resolution, make it Ready, Steady, Grow! and start your journey to a healthy outdoor lifestye, a growing social network and a lifelong passion for gardens and gardening.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Fordham & District Garden Club - Gardens & Gardening, Friendship & Fun, Learning & Sharing
