Newton Le Willows Gardeners Association
@ The Hut
Spring 2022 Newsletter
Newton Le Willows Gardeners Association
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
A very Happy New Year to all our members both new and returning. Soon we will be looking forward to our gardens and allotments springing into life once again. It is always one of life’s certainties that each year plants will start to grow again, but if left unchecked will quickly start to grow out of control and take over unless we intervene. For how many years have we been ensuring adequate distance between rows of vegetables, covering plants with fleece to protect against insects like carrot fly or spraying to kill viral or fungal infections? Does this sound familiar to social distancing, face masks and hand gel we have all been living with for the last two seasons?
Let us all hope we can look forward to a year not limited by restrictions where we can go ahead with confidence to the talks, trips and other events we have planned throughout the year. We have planned to re-establish the annual flower and vegetable show. Due to the closure of Penkford School the show will take place at Crownway Community Centre in Earlestown.
Dave Hemingway
Chairman
Dave Hemingway will be stepping down as chairman and we have a new nomination for the post. This will be put to the vote at the Annual General Meeting on January 20th 2022 at 7.30pm at the Cricket Club.
Many thanks go to Dave for chairing the committee for the last couple of years. As you will be aware Dave and his wife Gill have now re-located to North Wales. They have both been active members of the Association for many years and have made a valuable contribution to the committee, the Hut and the Show.
The Annual Flower, Fruit and Vegetable Show
After the enforced cancellation of our show for the last two years, we are happy that the show is planned to go ahead in 2022. I am sure we have all missed not being able to show our best produce and enjoy the day. The venue has changed. Penkford School is due to close and will not be available to us. After a long search we have settled on a new venue at Crownway Community Centre in Newton-le-Willows. It is a lovely space but it is smaller than the Penkford School. Working with a smaller space will mean that some of the exhibit classes will have to be removed. The final schedule will be decided once we can work out the number of tables we can fit into the available space. We will let you know as soon as everything has been finalised, probably via the e-bulletin that most of you receive each month. The schedules will be available at the usual time at the end of spring. The hardcopy newsletter, that is sent out in the summer, will highlight all the important information you will need to know.
Dates for your Diary for 2022
Talks and Demonstrations
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| February 24th | Marcus Chiltern-Jones – The Making of RHS Garden Bridgewater |
| March 24th | Marguerite Hughes & Sue Gillon – Herbs and Companion Planting |
| April 28th | Jane Allison of Mayfield Plants – It’s a Family Affair |
| May 26th | Gardeners Question Time tbc |
| October 27th | Sue Jeffries – Happy Houseplants |
Venue – Cricket Club in Newton-le-Willows – always Thursdays at 7.30pm
Shows
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| September 10th | NLWGA Annual Flower, Fruit and Vegetable Show |
| Crownway Community Centre Crown St, Newton-le-Willows, WA12 9DA |
Trips
| Date | Destination |
|---|---|
| Thursday 12th May | RHS Bridgewater, Worsley |
| Wednesday 15th June | Trentham Gardens |
| Saturday September 17th | Harrogate Autumn Show |
Please pay as you book your places in the hut. We need to confirm the booking of the coach and venue at least four weeks before the date of the trip.
The Hut
Opening Times
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- Closed
- Wednesday
- Closed
- Thursday
- Closed
- Friday
- Closed
- Saturday
- 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
- Sunday
- 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Good Friday 15th April 10.30 – 12.00 – Coffee Morning
We will continue to conform to any government guidelines for access to the hut, wearing of masks etc. which are relevant at the time.
Changes in the Hut
The hut will open as normal on Saturday and Sunday mornings. We normally open on Wednesday evenings from April to June but this year do not have enough volunteers for this to happen. If anyone is interested in volunteering please chat to any of the committee or anyone in the hut.
We are pleased to announce that we can now accept card payments at the till in the hut for any purchases over £10.
Promotion in the Spring
Did you know that Chempac No 8 can be used to boost the growth of some of your vegetable plants (not seedling stage)? Onions, leeks, carrots, parsnips, celery and runner beans will all benefit from being fed with it once the plants are established. The usual price of Chempac is around £4.50 – £5.15 per pack. To clear our current stock you can purchase No 8 for £3.00 per pack. Why not give it a try and let us know your results or bring them and enter the show in September. If it boosts your crops you could be one of the winners!
Date and Walnut Cake
This cake was popular at the last hut opening in October when we provided drinks and cakes.
¼ pint hot water 2 eggs
5oz butter 9 oz self-raising flour sifted
4oz soft brown sugar 2oz walnuts chopped
2 tablespoons golden syrup
Pour the hot water onto the dates and set aside to go cold.
Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the syrup and the eggs – one at a time. Fold in the flour then add the walnuts. Lastly, add the walnuts and the soaking water. Bake at 180c/350F for 1 hour to 1¼ hours. Cover loosely with foil for the last 30 minutes.
Enjoy!
