Awbridge Wildgrounds Group windbreak making day

The Windbreak viewed from the school playground

Well where should I start ,, we had a pretty mammoth task ahead of us a lot to achieve in one day. The hazel donated by Mottisfont Abbey and Gardens was delivered on the Wednesday and Heather one of the members of the group came up trumps with a very large pile of surplus dogwood which was donated by Hampshire artist Olivia Keith.
I brought a large pile of fabric and net strips from the Scrapstore and we were ready to start.
The ground proved to be much harder than we anticipated and after one hours work we had only managed to make enough holes for about ten hazel stakes it looked as if we might have to scale down our plan and build a smaller windbreak, thankfully two fathers who had stopped for a coffee break at a neighbours house came to our rescue and with their assistance we are soon able to get back on track.


Once this Hazel stakes were firmly in the ground we started working on the structural weaving using the dogwood to strengthen the structure , as with all projects such as this there were quite a lot of discussion on the best way to do this as well as how we wanted it to look.

Emma Heather and Amanda working
on the basic weaving

In the afternoon we were joined by year six students who helped us with the weaving and later on children who had brought personal pieces to weave into the structure came over to add them in . One of the children had been send a scarf by her grandmother who lives in South Africa she also included a note to tell people about the scarf s journey.


Once the main structure was assembled and ready for the next stage we were able to take a much needed break before the evening school fete started.



A view of the right hand end of the windbreak before the fete

During the fete many people from the local community as well as children who attended the school and their families were able to contribute by adding in a fabric design, several of the teachers who had been taking a peak during the day were able to come along and contribute.


A great first project for the group we are now busily planning for the autumn term and are looking forward to a much needed summer break.

Thanks to Heather Rowen Sue Emma and Amanda from the group who contributed to building the stucture, to the local Dads who stepped in when we most needed it ,Mr Barnes the Headteacher and all of the children and parents who joined in to help us make this such a fantastic project .

Pilands Volunteer group undergo training sessions

The Volunteer Group at Pilands have been undergoing commitee training, and today we popped down to see how they were getting on. 6 members of the volunteer group took part, creating a visual representation of all the skills they have available between them and thinking about how they could bring these to the centre. Volunteer co-ordinator Jane Rich was very complimentary about the CB project and it's support for the centre volunteers over the last two and a half years.
"You've transformed the image of the Scrapstore and made it relevant to the community".

Sway Carnival - the Gateway group rides again!

The Gateway Group from New Milton gained a special commendation and a rosette at this years Sway Carnival Procession which took place on friday evening.

The carnival theme this year was 'Sway to the Music' and the gang decided to dress up in tabards with different music styles stenciled on. Together with some new romantic make-up, cardboard guitars and instruments made from scrap, they looked fantastic.

The smiles say it all!

Cheeky Monkeys

Another tuesday morning in Fordingbridge and another visit to the now independent Cheeky Monkeys Group. We spent time creating some collage calenders and also experimented with

coloured hair extensions! The group is still attracting new members, the vegetables have started to grow outside. Next week, Cheeky Monkeys member Lisa, will be transferring her skills by travelling down to the New Milton Young Parents group to run a clay workshop.

Drama show at Forest Arts

On monday afternoon, an expectant audience gathered in the theatre at Forest Arts in New Milton to watch the drama production put on by members of both Brockenhurst and New Milton Gateway clubs. The production, 'My Hero' was based on a dream sequence where the actors took on the personas of their heroes. This included Kylie, Norman Wisdom, Robin Hood, Buzz Lightyear, Mr Spock and Daleks!
It was the culmunation of 6 weeks work, including writing the play themselves and creating all the props.
All the participants worked very well together as a team and everyone remembered their lines!

Mini Millbrook AGM - 6 July 2009

Suzie and Heidi (pictured) did a great job leading the Mini Millbrook Project in their second AGM. They'd never done it before, so they were quite nervous but they dived in anyway.

Kerry is continuing as Chair, and Gail as Treasurer, but because Mandy is starting a 'return to teaching course', she's stepping down as Secretary. Heidi and Suzie were elected in as the new 'secretaries' for the group as they will be doing a job share.

Guests at the AGM included Suzanne Gee and Debbie Sweeney from Surestart, Jennie Rawles from First Class Create, Barbara Hancock from TWICS, Tracey Woolmer from The Nuffield Theatre and Geoff Charnley from Southampton Scrapstore.

It was a nice informal AGM and the group were finally able to watch the DVD filmed at the final puppet workshop for the PUSH4Culture Puppet Programme. It was the first viewing for most of the group so there was a lot of laughing.

The Mini Millbrook Project have now decided to go ahead with plans to enter a section in Eastleigh Carnival. They're meeting up next week in the Rema Hut to plan the workshops with a butterfly theme, and Surestart are keen to get involved which will help pay for the materials and venue hire!