| Chris’ gardening tips
TELEVISION presenter and ecologist Chris Packham paid a special visit to a Basingstoke school to give pupils some expert gardening advice. The Hampshire-born wildlife enthusiast met youngsters at Kings Furlong Junior School last Friday to tour the school and its garden. He then visited Little Bushywarren Composting Site, in Herriard, to launch waste firm Veolia Environmental Services' composting event. Mr Packham, a former Really Wild Show presenter who now fronts the BBC's Inside Out programme, helped pupils from the school's Eco Stars team to plant sunflowers to celebrate the start of the growing season. He said: "You can only learn so much through second-hand experiences such as television, computers and books. "If they are touching it, feeling it, smelling it and getting mud under their fingernails, they remember it.
Landscape photographer Colin Prior Interview
The Rt. Hon. Richard Caborn MP, Minister for Sport opened the sixth Ordnance Survey Outdoors Show to the sounds of Indiana Jones played by a scout band, and watched in awe as The Royal Marines abseiled down the side of the NEC dressed in outdoor gear such as diving flippers and rucksacks - setting the scene for an action-packed event. That's what the press release said. Five of our readers won tickets for this even in a prize draw. We heard there were going to be cameras and things to play with and a couple of talks by top landscape photographer so we asked ThinkCamera member Drew Rawcliffe to go along and see what he thought. Oh and interview Colin too. Here's his report.
This show covers such a wide range of activities; stunt bikes, rock climbing, canoeing, scuba diving, microlites, the ICC European Bouldering Championships, and various displays from Sat Nav systems, OS mapping, tents, to the many clothing and equipment manufacturers and stores.
How men got the heave-hoe
WEEDING a border in the garden of her Cambridge home, Twigs Way dug up a small, pink cameo. A relic, left behind by an earlier lady gardener, it was a reminder of all the green-fingered women who had gone before. "I found a little brooch, which obviously dropped off while its owner was working," explains Twigs, both a keen gardener and social historian. "It gave me a strong sense of connection with the women gardeners of the past, like the weeders in Tudor times . . ." As she explains, in her new book Virgins, Weeders and Queens, ever since Eve and the apple, horticulture has attracted women from all walks of life. The idea for the book, subtitled A History of Women in the Garden, came while Twigs was teaching. A lecturer in garden history at Madingley Hall, Cambridge University's Institute of Continuing Education, Twigs was struck by an irony: she was talking almost entirely about men - to a room filled, almost entirely, with women.
Service day provides youth opportunity to give back
Today is the first day of the weekend set aside by service organizations nationwide as National and Global Youth Service Day. Projects have been scheduled throughout Madison County through Sunday to clear paths, paint picnic tables, improve landscaping and generally improve the quality of life at both public places and private residences.Roz Stevenson, director of youth programs for the Volunteer Center of Madison County, has been hard at work getting the word out about the volunteer program. She is very passionate about volunteerism and how it can help both the receiver and the giver.
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