Vodafone volunteers in Windmill Gardens

Last Thursday we had a great team working with FoWG’s Parks Group in Windmill Gardens as part of the Vodafone “Giving Something Back” day organised by Volunteering Matters.

These very willing volunteers spent all day with us sprucing up the park. They weeded and dug over the bed behind Brixton Windmill to prepare it as a wild flower meadow, and later in the day Dr Iain Boulton, Lambeth’s Environmental Compliance Officer, broadcast seed so that next summer we should have a wonderful display to greet visitors to the windmill.

Another team painted the railings and gates at the park entrance, while a team led by Sue, a parks group volunteer, expertly pruned and tidied the herb bed next to the children’s play area.

More volunteers dug over the bed next to the? windmill where we regularly plant heritage wheat so that we can renew the soil by planting ‘green manure’ to add essential nutrients before we sow spring wheat next year. Finally, the flower bed next to the entrance was cleared of weeds and planted with some new bushes. The last task of the day was to plant some quince bushes along the boundary fence between the park and Blenheim Gardens Estate.

While the team was working so hard in the park Stephen Lawlor, the windmill education officer, was grinding flour inside the windmill. Everyone was able to take a short break from their work in the park to see inside Brixton Windmill and watch the flour being milled.

“Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the lovely sunny day,” said Christina O’Reilly, leader of the Vodafone team.

Thanks Vodafone! Windmill Gardens greatly benefited from all your team’s hard work, and we hope all of you will spread the word among your colleagues and come and visit us again to take a full tour of Brixton Windmill – especially as 2016 is Brixton Windmill’s bicentenary.