MILL LANE ALLOTMENT ASSOCIATION IN FLINTSHIRE
Our Allotments in Flintshire
We've had a DUCK RACE!!
We organised a Duck Race on Wepre Brook on Sunday 19th July to help raise funds for the Brook Clean Up. The Brook borders our allotments for approx 300 Metres and we would like to clean the banks up and the bed of the Brook itself. We have seen Mallard, Kingfishers, Trout, Dragonflies, Dippers and all sorts of other birdlife in the area. As well as "selling" ducks for the race we were looking for volunteers for a Sunday in September to help us pick litter on the banks, remove rubbish from the area and generally tidy the environment up around the Allotments. Please use this LINK to give us your email address we will then add your details to our newsletter list and send you updated information as soon as it becomes available. Many thanks to all who bought ducks before the event and then on the day. The races started at 2.00pm from the bridge over the brook on Mill Lane behind Hendy's. We met up at the Bandstand in the Community Garden (behind the Job Centre in Connah's Quay) at 1.30pm and set out tea, coffee cakes and scones as well as our prize tables for the raffle and for the races. All the children there helped with launching the ducks for both races and were given trophies as a thank you from the committee for all their help! Raffle prizes were drawn at the end of proceedings and everyone had a good time. The chairman was nominated as duck chaser in chief and followed the ducks down the brook making sure none got stuck or lost, although he lost his glasses twice, recovering them only once and finishing the day wearing his spare pair of prescription sunglasses!. Only one duck was disqualified for having ballast and keel fitted. It gave the game away by going straight and true down the fastest flowing part of the brook!! The name of the duck modifier has not been published but Mr Tinkler has been banned from having any runners/swimmers in the next race scheduled for Easter 2016!
The total raised on the day was over £100.00 to add to the presold ducks from the town festival stall and the AGM. Thanks to all who helped, donated, put their hands in their pockets and gave up their time to prepare and organise the event.
Buying a £2.00 duck will have helped us to buy a roll of heavy duty rubbish bags, or a couple of pairs of gloves. We need lots of bags and lots of gloves!
Fly tipped items like this need to be removed when we take part in the Big Dee Cleanup.
We will be teaming up with the agencies working on the Big Dee Cleanup and hope to work closely with Fly Tipping Wales, Keep Wales Tidy and Environment Wales.
As the site is in a quieter area of town it has been used as a dumping ground in the past. The Allotments have become a much more vibrant place over the last 2 years and, as a result, much less rubbish is being left or dumped.
Litter like this on the bank needs to be cleared up.
As the Brook is tidal we suffer from rubbish being washed up on the tides as well as rubbish being washed down from upstream. We believe that this environment is of great importance to our own wellbeing as well as that of a wide and diverse wildlife population.
We also need to tidy up the paths , lanes and roadways which surround our site
We are very lucky in that we are very close to the Community Garden in Connah's Quay which also hosts 6 allotments and some raised beds for community growing groups. Two hard working volunteers have been maintaining this general area tirelessly over the last 6 years. As there is quite a high volume of foot traffic in this area a general litter pick will take place there at the same time to help support them.