Our small band of volunteers stood down for Summer which was just as well with the unrelenting heat. Obviously, the normal maintenance was also put on hold to ensure the safety of the work party. Minor tasks continued as and when practical, so if you see members out and about, please give them a wave.
Now would be a good time to thank Colin Thackwell for his magnificent efforts raising funds for the group. On the run-up to his 80th birthday, he undertook 80 static marathon bike rides at the Camposol B commercial centre. He has raised the incredible sum of 950€ which we hope to put to funding new projects for the coming season. As has been said before, this money should not have to be used to cover work for which the council has responsibility; ie palm cutting on the main roads.
Although the main work group has been on its break, other matters were still in hand, including the growth and propagation of new plants to be used in future projects. On occasion, we have more new plants than we actually need, so it was with great pleasure that we were able to donate some plants to another local charity during August. Age Concern has moved to new premises on Camposol and were seeking plants for landscaping. Several yuccas, cacti and succulents have now been passed to Age Concern. We wish them well in their new location.
Sadly, there is always some news which is not good:
Several weeks ago, we started renovating the petanca pitch on Camposol B. This involved raising the perimeter walls of the playing areas to try and avoid any future ground slippage. Volunteers tiled these walls to make the area look a bit more attractive and they have been visiting from time to time to carry out additional work to stabilise the ground. During one of these visits, it was noticed that the tiling has sustained considerable damage. Nobody has come forward to admit to this and, as the breakages are scattered along both lengths of wall, one can only assume that it is down to vandalism. This must be some sort of a record with the work being ruined possibly within days of completion. To make matters worse, after the tile damage was discovered, the area was visited by somebody whose idea of fun is to spray-paint memorial benches. The IQ level must be really, really low! It would be nice if somebody would come forward, or the identity of the culprit was disclosed, but we are not holding our breath. Regrettably, another month ends with the work of local volunteers being damaged by those who care nothing for the local environment.