So says Doug Stewart, who, together with Blair Jacobs, judged this year’s entries. You can see pictures he took on the Radio Humberside Facebook page: https://tinyurl.com/ydejbyne  and also on Doug’s blog: https://tinyurl.com/yafwzuxm

Here we see the winning Wacky Zoo with its creative use of vegetables and the Knitted Ark, again showing amazing attention to detail.  The Wacky Zoo also got the most votes in the People’s Choice so Tracey Naylor kindly donated the prize to this lovely runner-up. The pictures below hardly do justice to the winners of second and third prizes. The Humber Bridge was the result of a major piece of research on what goes on north and south of the bridge and the Pirate Ship had so many points of interest it repaid a second or third visit!

Together with our many and varied Open Gardens, entertainments and contributions from so many Barrow groups and organizations, this was another Weekend to Remember.  Thanks to everyone who took part and made this another great event.  Don’t forget to visit our Facebook page as well.

With a record number of gardens plus over 80 barrows to see, the 2017 event kicks off at 11 o’clock on Saturday 3rd June.  Doug Stewart and Blair Jacobs of Radio Humberside will be along to visit the village and judge the wheelbarrows on Saturday.

There will be a number of other events happening over the weekend. The full programme can be downloaded here.

Poster / Programme

We look forward to seeing you!

On the 26th April John Thompson will be giving another of his popular talks. ‘Down Memory Lane’ will feature photographs not shown before and give a unique insight into the village over the last century.  7.30 at Holy Trinity Church, £2.50 on the door. Refreshments will be available.

The first weekend in June will see the sixth annual Wheelbarrow Festival take place, now an established feature of village life.  If you wish to contribute a decorated barrow to this year’s event, collect a form from Barrow News or download one from this site. Wheelbarrow and Garden Form_2017

More details about the weekend will be posted after Easter.

During the Wheelbarrow Weekend we will be displaying information about designs for a John Harrison statue and seeking the opinions of Barrow residents.

Trees in the Market Place

The loss of trees was how Better Barrow got started. In 2012, the council removed three medium sized trees from the Market Place because they were sick – mainly because they didn’t have enough space for their roots. Lots of people were upset about this and it led to the setting up of Better Barrow Community Project.  When we did a questionnaire throughout the village, replacing the trees came high on the list of things people in Barrow wanted.  After four years we have trees back!

Q How much did the tree planting cost?

A The total cost was £13,000.  £7,000 of this came from a Compensation payment – that is a payment to make up for trees mistakenly or illegally felled.  So the cost to North Lincs was £6,000.

Q That seems quite a lot…

A Yes, the cost of the trees is fairly small but the excavation and other engineering works are obviously the main expense.

Q Couldn’t that money be spent on, say, health or social services?

A Not really.  Firstly, Compensation payments have to be spent on tree replacements. Secondly, there are amounts of money budgeted by Local Authorities for specific jobs, such as improving the environment which cannot be switched around.

Q Aren’t people more important than the environment?

A If there was no budget for things like trees and open spaces, we would have no parks, playing fields and so on.  And we all know how important these are for people’s health and well-being.

Q What kind of trees are they?

A They are ornamental pears. In other words, they will have nice blossoms but no pears!

Q If the previous trees got sick, won’t these suffer too?

A No. The deep hole that was dug and the ‘cages’ put in mean that there is plenty of room for the roots. Also, a ‘sustainable drainage system’ has been included so that rainwater from round about, including from the bus shelter, will go into this area.  Sustainable Drainage Systems or SUDs are recommended by the government as ways of reducing the risk of local flooding in times of very heavy rainfall.

As part of the work in the Market Place, the unsightly tarmac was removed and replaced with paving more appropriate for the area.  Ideally, we would like to see the slabs elsewhere in the Market Place taken up and re-laid in a more level and secure way – but that is another aim to be pursued!

We’re sorry that it’s taken a long while to get these up onto the site. Both holidays and computer problems have intervened!  All the Open Gardens from 2016 should be in this document. Many thanks to Bill Ballam for taking the pictures.

Garden Photos