The Quarr Local Nature Reserve is one of the town’s star amenities being a designated Local Nature Reserve. At this time of the year we can (sometimes!) have glorious autumn days where a walk on the wild side can remind us that Nature blooms naturally all year round.

Here are some of the sights to be seen at the Quarr In November. To see close-ups of the pictures, click twice on each image.

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Remembrance Day in Sherborne

On the 90th anniversary of the end of WWI the poppies commemorate still all those who suffer and die in conflict.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)

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More allotments needed? Not enough land available?

Now here’s a good idea! Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (of River Cottage fame) is launching this initiative called ‘Landshare’ which puts people who want to cultivate land in touch with those who have land available. He’s doing this via Channel 4 TV which broadcasts his cookery/country lifestyle programme.

Hugh’s idea is simple. There are more and more people who want to grow their own food, but there are long waiting lists for allotments. So, find more land. People who have gardens that they would like to share or landowners with unused land could satisfy the demand by making their land available.

The TV programme has featured several examples of how this can work. In one case, a woman whose garden was too big for her to manage allowed another woman to come in and work it in exchange for a share of the vegetable crop. And there are other examples of people ‘guerilla gardening’, planting vegetables in untended public spaces.

Find out more about this excellent idea at http://landshare.channel4.com/

Sherborne in the autumn can be a glory! When the sun comes out and shines on the dying leaves we see sights that gladden the eye and remind us how spectacular October can be.

Here’s what it looks like at the Castle for a few brief weeks:

The holly reminds us of the winter season to come - thank goodness for evergreens!

When we think of ‘Sherborne In Bloom’ we naturally think of flowers. It’s easy to be wowed by bright, impressive blooms and they rightly take centre stage in summer.

But in autumn, the fruits of the blooms appear and it’s easy to take them for granted. But Norman Crabb, one of the team of photographers from Sherborne Bradford Abbas Camera Club, sees things differently. Norman’s doing a photographic project at the allotments and has come up with some more stunning images.

Allotments as art. Hmm, there’s a thought!

Thanks, Norman.

[click on an image to see the picture full size]

Sherborne’s Pack Monday Fair is always held on the first Monday after Michaelmas. The town is filled with a street market where all kinds of tatty junk useful merchandise is on display and crowds throng the streets to enjoy the bustling atmosphere.

There was lots for gardeners too. Here are some of the stalls anxious to purvey goods ready for next year’s Sherborne In Bloom!

The town itself may have changed since medieval times but peoples’ interest in a quick bargain and a day’s outing certainly hasn’t. Long may Pack Monday continue!

Sherborne’s Gryphon School Wins Clem Preece Memorial Cup!

At last week’s South West In Bloom awards presentation, one of the prizes that Sherborne came back with was this splendiforous cup which was awarded to the Gryphon School for their contribution to Sherborne In Bloom.  Towns previously awarded this cup include Camborne, Midsomer Norton, Weston-Super-Mare, Seaton, Chulmleigh and Exmouth. Sherborne’s name can now be engraved alongside this worthy company.

So what did the school do to gain such prestigious recognition? Well, here are a few candid snaps of the youth of Sherborne getting stuck in:

The kids planted numerous adopt-a-plots around the town, including Bristol Road, Coldharbour, Digby Road, Kitt Hill, Sherborne Station, Sherborne Police Station and more. And they also painted a mural in Newland South car park and posters for Sherborne Station.

The judges were clearly impressed by all this child labour.

Well done, school! Top marks!

At the ‘South West In Bloom’ presentation event in Plymouth yesterday, Sherborne came away with another gold award for our Sherborne In Bloom project!

We also won the Clem Preece Memorial Cup which was awarded to Gryphon School ‘for outstanding school effort supporting Britain In Bloom criteria’.

And we won the Michael McGahey Trophy ‘for exceptional community effort’.

We were also awarded a certificate in the Neighbourhood Awards category for the planting scheme at Fosters Furlong.

Pictured here (l to r) are Sally Westlotorn, Louise Burks, Caz Rowland and Valerie Todd who attended the event, holding the awards that Sherborne won.

Thanks and congratulations to all the hard-working gardeners of Sherborne and especially to the pupils and teachers of Gryphon School whose contribution received such deserved recognition! Thanks also to the Sherborne Bradford Abbas Camera Club who photographed the entire project.

Now, let’s get started on 2009

Autumn means harvest time to Sherborne’s allotment holders. Fruit, flowers and vegetables are among the crops grown at Westbridge Park, where 72 plots are under cultivation.

Growing our own food is now an important priority with food prices rising and the environmental impacts of industrial food production becoming apparent.

These photographs were taken last week by Norman Crabb who is engaged in a longer-term photography project at the site. More photos from Norman later!

Click on an image to see it close up.

September’s here and the hanging baskets in Cheap Street are still going strong!

August was one of the wettest since records began. And as well as the rain we had winds, day after day, until we thought it would never end

At least the hanging baskets didn’t seem to mind. If the weather had been really hot for days on end they would have needed constant watering and they would have certainly suffered from drought.

‘Tis an ill wind…