Muddy Fork, Retford’s Gardening for Wellbeing charity, took a well-deserved break over Christmas and New Year. A lunchtime get-together for everyone on the Friday before Christmas marked the start of the holiday season, with gallons of leek and potato soup made from garden produce helping to counteract the biting wind.
The winter maintenance programme had continued apace during the previous month, and culminated in the finishing off of the ‘new’ shed – actually a hybrid using a donated shed, large but in need of repair, which was successfully refurbished using parts of the old, smaller original, also past its use-by date. The additional space is a real asset to the project. Sadly, however, within days of completion, a break-in damaged the door and resulted in the loss of a number of hand tools. Theft and vandalism continue to present unwelcome challenges to the smooth running of the garden, with repairs and replacement consuming both time and money.
A further setback came with the snow, which disrupted the first planned session of the New Year. Despite all this, Muddy Fork starts the year in good spirits. With the days getting longer and the planting season approaching, the willow harvest to deal with, and new referrals coming in, there is much to be positive about. Support from the community is always appreciated, whether this be offers of volunteering (especially given increasing numbers), or donations, whether in the form of equipment, seeds, or of course, money!
You can find the Muddy Fork website at www.muddyfork.uk. To make a referral, offer your services as a volunteer, or make a donation, you can contact Rose, Muddy Fork’s General Manager, at rose.muddyfork@outlook.com. Visitors to the garden are always welcome.