The Place to meet

Volunteers have been busy on Thursday afternoons in Mount Place between 3 and 5 pm, sweeping leaves, digging up weeds and roots in the long bed on the north side to get it ready for the planting in September. The Council, together with Greening Jericho and the head gardener of Worcester College have agreed a planting scheme that will combine ground cover and more decorative plants and bushes.

Because the ground in the three beds that do not have a large tree is very poor under a thin layer of earth, it has been agreed with Susanna Pressel for the Council to create three raised beds (one by Mount Street, one in the middle of the area and one near the footbridge) to provide a better planting environment.

Mount Place is now enjoyed by a wide range of punters, friends meet there physically distant thanks to the long benches, others enjoy the shade provided by the acacia trees, families and children make use of it for various purposes: last Thursday a local family and their distant relatives congregated there to celebrate Papa’s 88th birthday safely, bringing garden furniture and food. Generally passers-by are curious and enthusiastic about the current and future plans for this new amenity for Jericho residents and others.

The Jericho Community Association is organising the replacement of the graffitied information plaque on Whitworth Place with something that will be less easy to vandalise.

The smelly dog poo bin has been removed, and of the two Council bins the nearest one to Whitworth Place/the canal bridge now accepts dog poo bags. (but we are asking people please not to dump domestic rubbish by the bins…).

There is now a CCTV camera on the house on the corner of Mount St and Mount Place.

Conversations are taking place within the group about the possible siting of a “boules” pitch somewhere, precise location and nature not yet finalised. The idea is to provide another source of entertainment without dramatically affecting the nature of the overall space.

On Sunday 16th August, the monthly PLANT AND BOOK SWAP will take place between 2 and 5pm: this is an opportunity for anyone to bring spare seeds, seedlings and/or more established plants and exchange them for free. There will be other garden-related things too.

Please do come and join us to share ideas, enjoy the work in progress: if you feel like helping, bring your gloves and tools; or if you are simply curious or feeling sociable, bring your own drink, maybe a portable seat, and pray for good weather!