The last few weeks have been, as usual, a mix of positives and negatives. As the temperature rockets to record highs, the B Clean working party was anxious to get the weeding of Los Covachos completed before the group had to stand down. This substantial task has been completed albeit with assistance from Greenfingers group. The oleanders have produced a remarkable number of blooms despite the late pruning of the bushes caused by a combination of COVID restrictions and lack of volunteers.
Due in no small part to the efforts of Colin Thackwell, we have received sufficient donations to fill the hole in the group’s finances arising from the payment to contractors to do the palm tree cutting again this year. It will, of course, be remembered that this is a situation in which private individuals are effectively funding work which is the responsibility of Mazarrón Council, so we hope that this is the last time we have to attack the piggy bank in this manner.
Finally, some work has been carried out to restore the petanca pitches which had suffered earlier this year when the heavy rain (remember what that is anybody??), had washed down soil and clay onto the gravel paths. The retaining walls have been reinforced and the blockwork topped off with new tiling. This work was carried out in addition to the usual work party schedule with donations of materials by members. As and when time permits, other work will be carried out to try and stabilise the area to prevent a repetition of the slippage.
Unfortunately, the usual ‘minus’ was still there, namely limited support of the group’s work by members of the public. We still have just 4 people turning out on a Tuesday morning to undertake the basic maintenance of the sector, plus a few individuals who perform other gardening and clearance duties on a more ad hoc basis. It is rather embarrassing to admit that one of the regular attendees to the work sessions doesn’t even live on B but elsewhere on the urbanisation! The lack of support was highlighted when members of Greenfingers felt the need to volunteer their services to assist with the weeding of Covachos so that the work could be completed before the Summer break. We were, of course, hugely grateful for their aid, but doesn’t anybody else feel even a bit uncomfortable that this had to happen? At present, less than 1% of the population of Camposol B actually helps look after their home ‘turf’. The day-to-day maintenance of the public areas is a big enough job and when you add problems caused by fly-tipping and wanton damage to trees and plants, it really is too much for so few people. Perhaps, after the Summer and our work resumes, more volunteers will take up the challenge and help keep their area looking as good as possible. Fingers crossed???