CHRISTMAS 2009
We would like to say a huge THANK YOU to Dave Stanley and his son Ben who cooked a splendid Christmas lunch for students, guests and staff on 2nd December at the Bletchingley Village Hall. The lunch was, as ever, delicious. We would also like to thank the members of the Old Caterhamians Rugby Club and their wives who gave up their time to come along and wait on us and clear up. A great day was had by all! And a special thank you to Roger and Wendy Lambert for their most generous donation. BLETCHINGLEY IN BLOOM This year the village had again taken part in Britain in Bloom, a competition run by the Horticultural Society. Bletchingley is in the South East category which stretches from Essex to Hampshire. It is an enormous competition with 7 divisions in each area. There were 134 entries across the whole area. Skills Centre neighbours, Pamela and Anthony Cock have the pleasure of attending the awards ceremony where prizes are awarded on the same lines as the Chelsea Flower Show. Pamela explained that last year Bletchingley was awarded a ‘Silver Gilt’ and that this year they were hoping for gold. If you look around the village you can see the commitment and hard work that has gone into this year’s competition. There are only about 15 people involved in Bletchingley in Bloom, so it is a huge amount of work for such a small number of people. Pamela explained how the Skills Centre had become involved with Bletchingley in Bloom. An area which had previously been a complete wilderness had been cleared, covered with black fabric over the winter and planted as a vegetable garden in the spring. The soil was full of nutrients as it had never been worked before and had resulted in a marvellous crop of vegetables. Around the village most people put out pots, planters and baskets prior to judging day. Earlier in the year the grassy area near the Red Lion pub was developed with new flower beds. A competition was held to design a sign for the village. The Rector of the Parish Church came up with the winning design, which was erected on the grass verge outside the Red Lion. In the autumn thousands of daffodil bulbs were planted to provide a hug splash of yellow in the spring. Unfortunately, on March 25th the daffodils were vandalised with many of the heads cut off, but this will not deter the planting of more bulbs this autumn. In Grange Meadow, the little brook has been cleared and the path along to the school has been planted with wood anenomes, snowdrops and bluebells. A garden has also been developed at St. Catherine’s School and 12 children have been attending the gardening club every Monday. The children have been encouraged to grow vegetables and flowers and it has been a wonderful lesson for them to see the results. Bletchingley comes into the large village category of the competition, along with some other very strong contenders including Limpsfield, Tatsfield and Reigate. An exhibition showing the horticultural achievements of Bletchingley throughout the year was held in the Adult Education Centre on the day of the judging. Part of the competition involves showing how the village community has supported the project. Fundraising events had been held during the year to raise money for Bletchingley in Bloom, including a plant sale and a flower arranging evening. One of the students from the Skills Centre, Jane Cook, had contributed by making the cover for the photo album produced for the competition. This year Bletchingley won a Silver Gilt award with a certificate of excellence presented to Bletchingley Skills Centre and a personal certificate was presented to Skills Centre tutor, Ben O’Driscoll who works tirelessly in the Skills Centre garden, weeding, watering and nurturing, despite being blind. Success – A Grant From Abbey Charitable Trust The staff and students of Bletchingley Skills Centre wish to thank Alan Eagle, Charitable Trust Manager for his help and support in applying for and being awarded a generous grant from the Abbey Charitable Trust. The Skills Centre could not continue without financial support of this type and we will use the funding for 4 copies of Guide software (screen reader software). This software will specifically enable visually impaired students to learn to use computers. Thank you to Colin Shaul and all at LeRoc Modern Jive Thank you very much to Colin who was again so generous at our Christmas Fayre and who also donated vouchers for an evening with Vincent and Flavia at Dorking Halls which we auctioned at the Fayre. All the staff and students at the Skills Centre would like to thank everyone for their support.
