It was a busy August Bank Holiday Weekend in Bolsterstone. Community Group efforts to support the Church’s Flower Festival began on the cold, wet Friday before the weekend when we got together to decorate the pump area and the Village Hall yard. With a plan supplied by Mary Adams, flowers ordered in by the church and a lot of good will and camaraderie the pump was festooned and the old school maypole repaired, erected and decorated and the arch over the door to the Village Hall garlanded. The weekend was a huge success with hundreds of visitors coming to view the Church, the village and our Community Garden which was also open to the public all weekend to mark the occasion.
Our official Community Garden Open Day, planned way back in February for September, was creeping ever nearer and, not wanting to cancel again the planned barbecue, we decided to have a practice run on Bank Holiday Saturday. This, in fact, was the second trial run of the summer. The first had taken place on Summer Fayre Day, 4 July, which many of you may remember as warm and sunny – until about 6.30 that is. Then the heavens opened. That was just about the time we began to sizzle sausages and brown burgers. Furthermore, the temperature plummeted. Some took refuge in the shed, others in the greenhouse and a few stayed under the little gazebo we’d erected over the paved area, raising their glasses and drinking to the other two groups, separated from them by the deluge! Three parties went on until the heavens cleared, the setting sun dazzled us and the midges started to bite. Not an overwhelming success but we had learnt a few lessons! Wrap up warmly, (this is summer in Bolsterstone) and erect more gazebos. If anything, Bank Holiday Saturday was even colder than 4 July and definitely wetter. The gazebos, warm clothes and wind break worked a treat but the real stroke of genius was the provision of hot drinks which proved even more popular than the cold kind. Confident now that we would combat anything the weather could throw at us we opened our Community Garden and invited members and friends to a lunch time barbecue on Saturday 12 September. A glorious hot, dry, wind free day proving we had done all that suffering for nothing! We hope everyone who joined us enjoyed the day as much as we did and didn’t get too sunburnt! We are still trying to work out who won the impromptu game of boules that caused such hilarity and not a little cheating! Summer in Bolsterstone – beautiful!
As part of the larger community we have been following the progress of the new Community Assembly which has replaced our Northern Area Panel. Representatives of the Assembly held three events in June and July which covered the four Northern Wards and were attended by representatives of over 50 local groups. Here discussions took place on issues raised by the groups and a vote was taken on the future role of Voluntary, Community and Faith organisations in Community Assemblies. There was considerable overlap of issues raised which, in the Stocksbridge area of which we are part, were, “playgrounds, planning issues particularly greenbelt, relationship with SCC particularly parks and planning, transport and infrastructure, housing and community life”. The information from the three events has been collated and included in a Draft Community Plan. A Voluntary, Community and Faith Panel will formally represent the interests of the sector in the Northern Community Assembly area. The first draft of the plan was considered at a recent meeting and aspects of it implementation will be voted upon at the next Community Assembly which is open to the public. For more information about Community Assemblies and how they propose to work on our behalf contact anne.blantern@sheffield.gov.uk or ring 0114 2037152
Free membership of Bolsterstone Community Group is open to anyone who supports our aim. For further information please contact Group Chairperson, Frances Tivey on 01142 883390 or email bcg@bolsterstonevillage.fsnet.uk