Christmas Opening at Dig In

Dig In would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Dig In will be closed for Christmas on the following days:

• Wednesday 24th December
• Saturday 27th December

Apart from this, we will be open, as usual, every Wednesday & Saturday morning, 10-12.

Newcomers and regulars are always welcome, just ring the doorbell on the gate between the above times for someone to let you in.

Thank you for your support over the last year - may your Christmas sprouts be perfectly cooked!

Harvest Event Best Ever!

Wow! the weather stayed fine and 233 visitors attended our Autumn Harvest 2014 event. I think the total visitor numbers are probably a record for our events to date and everyone had a fantastic time.

Many, many thanks to all who gave up their time preparing the event activities and those who put much effort into volunteering on the day. A special thanks to Alan Withington (RCAN) for helping with the construction of the new refreshments shed and tombola donations, John Hempsall for the apple variety identifications, Jill Carter and the Pulp Friction team, the ladies who worked tirelessly to provide a tasty feast of food and refreshments during the event, Tracey Lloyd and Kathy Holmes for the pumpkin carving workshop, Karen Fry for the apple pressing, Dave Wood for the poem, Claire Swain for the knitting, Helen Turner for the nest box workshop, ASDA Long Eaton and Boots for assisting with the tombola donations, Stapleford Town Council for their support and the gentleman from Frank Key who pleasantly surprised us by donating a wheelbarrow to Dig In on the day. Last but not least, Roy Oldershaw for being our welcoming 'man on the gate'. There are others too numerous to mention, but thank you all.

As the saying goes, a picture speaks a thousand words...

Autumn Harvest Celebration Event 2014

Come and join our free admission family fun day event celebrating the Autumn harvest. The event will take place on Saturday 18th October 2014, between 11am and 3pm at the Dig In community allotment, Pasture Road, Stapleford. NG9 8HZ (map)

Activities include apple pressing, pumpkin carving, apple pancakes, chutneys, preserves and more.

If you have an apple tree in your garden, but are unsure of the variety, please bring one of the apples and a leaf along to the event for identification by an expert.

Looking forward to another brilliant event at the allotment - everyone is welcome to attend and there is no need to book, just turn up on the day.

Decade of DIG IN event

A big thank you for everyone who attended our Decade of DIG IN event on Saturday 23rd August. Apart from a short, light shower, the weather stayed warm and dry, which added extra icing on the celebration cake generously provided by ASDA Long Eaton, along with fresh fruits and other ingredients for the cream teas.

The event was attended by over 100 visitors and from the comments and feedback received, was enjoyed by both guests and helpers alike. Many thanks to the volunteers, groups and funders who have supported us over the years and we look forward to the next decade of DIG IN.

A special thanks to Alan Withington (RCAN), who pulled out all the stops to ensure the new catering shed was usable on the day and for much of the infrastructure development. Stapleford Town council for their generous funding and support, Pulp Friction for the wonderful ice cream and wine, Tracey Lloyd on the musical instruments, Jon from ASDA, Pete and James on the drums, Claire on the face painting, the local knitters for their contributions towards the community blanket and the hard work of the DIG IN committee, volunteers and local community who made it possible.

We hope to see everyone back for our Harvest Celebration event on the 18th October 2014.

Thanks for the poem from Dave Wood, local poet- to celebrate DIG IN's tenth anniversary. Dave has been involved with DIG IN since we started, supported us at events, got his hands dirty and sung our praises when needed. Cheers Dave!

o the corn! - for dig in's tenth anniversary

ten ten and here's to the golden years 
the laughs the jokes - and o the corn!
the stories then - the chuckling of the ears
it's once upon a ten that they were born
the laughs the jokes - and o the corn!
the spuds - the greens - and (phwoar) the fruit
dig in's weathered more than many storms
and now ten years promises its hoots
the stories then - the chuckling of the ears
the poet rhymed us with his daft nibbed pen
the pumpkin had us dancing without fear
we'll keep on digging in our dance again
the stories then - the chuckling of the ears
ten ten and here's to the golden years

DAVE WOOD

Workshop floral and herb arrangement 2014

Here are some floria and herb arrangement workshop we did today, everybody enjoyed doing this workshop and soon start doing some of our own now we know how to do them.

This one shows the table set out with the 3 other people have done.

Recycle lanterns

Here are some of the recycle lanterns we did in this morning session from recycle tin cans. What we did was got the can with some ice inside it, then used a nail and a hammer to make our designs onto it. You have to have some sort of solid to make it really work out well. We found out with the warm weather we had to work a lot faster on it before it melted. Everybody enjoyed making them and hopefully make more at home.

Now you see it, now you don't

30 children from Wadsworth Fields Primary School enjoyed trying fresh produce at Dig In on Thursday 12th June. A salad of just-picked lettuce and spicy mustard leaves went down well, but the favourite was broad beans, straight out of their velvety pods. 

Karen

May off to a Good Start

It's been perfect growing weather so far this month (except a surprise late frost!) and Dig In volunteers have been having fun digging, sowing, planting and digging, sowing and planting some more. We've also been enjoying workshops on arts and crafts and on composting.

With the forecast getting better this week it's a perfect time to come and get involved if you've not been for a while, or if you've been thinking about joining in.

Karen 

Cook & Taste Sessions 2014

Come and join our friendly Cook & Taste sessions at the Dig In Community Allotment, Stapleford.

Discover how tasty health food can be, using seasonal ingredients, some locally grown.
Share recipes, cooking tips, and learn new skills.
Enjoy cooking and eating food together.

There are two session dates available and booking is required;

Wednesday 28th May, 10am - 12.30

Saturday 21st June, 10am - 12.30

Cost: Adults £2, Children £1 (includes food and light refreshments).

Children under 14 must be adult supervised.

To book a place, please email Mary Venning;

bookings@diginstapleford.org.uk

Click here to download event flyer.

Pond Dipping & Bug Hunt 2014

Please sign up for our annual pond dipping and bug hunt session at the allotment. This is a very popular event with the children and places are limited, so early booking is recommended to avoid disappointment.

This year, the event will be held on Saturday 9th August from 10am until noon.

There will be a small charge of £1 per child to take part, with accompanying adults entering free. The admission price will include light refreshments.

To book places on this event, please email Mary Venning;

bookings@diginstapleford.org.uk 

Please note that children under 14 must be adult supervised.

Click here to download event flyer.

ASDA Cheque Presentation

Dig In were presented with a cheque for £50 last Saturday, following our success in the ASDA Community Life token awards scheme. Many thanks to ASDA Long Eaton and all those who supported us with tokens.

Make a Collage Workshop

Dig In volunteers demonstrated their artistic skills by creating collages in the first of Joyce Killowe's art and craft workshops at Dig In.

The Dig In polytunnel doubled as an indoor art studio and we all sampled some of Mary's tasty homemade Rhubarb cake during the break. A wonderful time was had by all.