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Why start the group?

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There are several reasons for setting up this new group.

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• The green spaces could be more developed and promoted for use and enjoyment by the public.

• Volunteers are needed by the parish council to help manage some of the green spaces.

• The primary school, nursery schools and the six groups of Scouts and Guides in the village want help to use some of the green spaces.

• Lastly the Ketton Tree Group existed over 20 years ago but has since ceased. It planted about 1000 trees round the parish. The trees still need managing. Also more trees probably need planting, but in the right places, as part of the global response to climate change.

 

What's the aim?

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To support the sustainable management, conservation and public amenity of green spaces (especially public open spaces) of Ketton and surrounding parishes for the public benefit.

 

• Helping to manage and develop them with volunteers.

• Increasing their biodiversity, sustainability and recreational use.

• Growing, planting and managing trees.

• Raising money to support their management and development.

• Educating the public about their conservation, biodiversity and heritage.

 

What local sites?

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• Hall Close recreation ground and Sinc Stream

• Ketton churchyard and cemetery

• Rivers Welland and Chater

• Whitebread Copse

• Around Ketton Sports and Community Centre sports fields, including the Football Copse

• Footpaths, bridleways and roadside verges

• Around Ketton Quarry SSSI

 

What possible activities?

 

Hall Close

• Manage the willow coppice and fruit orchards

• Prune and manage fruit trees, and collect mown hay

• Plant wildflower meadow

• Raise funds for tools, interpretation, and recreational equipment

• Survey wildlife and prepare a management plan

 

Churchyard and Cemetery

• Survey wildlife and prepare management plans

 

Rivers Welland and Chater

• Survey and promote the rivers with the Welland River Trust

• Survey wildlife with River Wardens

 

Trees

• Plant trees in the Football Copse with other village groups, and produce a management plan for the copse

• Manage the willow coppice and fruit orchard in Hall Close

• Produce and promote trails and organise guided walks

• Set up a tree nursery, possibly with a group from a nearby village

• Help Ketton Primary School and Playgroup use the willow coppice and fruit orchard

• Organise tree planting in other areas of Ketton and any neighbouring parish

• Survey trees and identify possible TPOs with Tree Wardens

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Other areas

• Monitoring wild flowers of roadside verges and other areas

• Help create footpath up Empingham Road to connect with other paths

• Support the development of some new allotments

• Explore possible funding for new amenity and recreation projects

 

What has been done so far?

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• We had an initial meeting and confirmed a Coordinator, Secretary and Treasurer. We also have a bank account and are finalising our constitution for an unincorporated association.

• We presented ideas for the group to the Ketton Parish Council (KPC) Highways and Open Spaces Committee on Feb 5th. We aim to work closely with them.

• We registered as a Tree Charter Champion and joined the TCV Community Network.

• We set up a temporary small tree nursery on private land with the aim of moving it to a larger, more permanent site.

• We also ordered some tree seedlings and trees from the Woodland Trust to plant in the sports ground's Football Copse alongside Pit Lane.

• The rest of the activities so far can be seen under the Sites and Projects sections above.

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Ketton Tree Group

 

The Ketton Tree Group was set up in 1990 and actively managed trees around the village for over 7 years. The Ketton Green Spaces Group has now continued this volunteering work but expanded it to work on managing and enriching a range of green spaces around Ketton as well as in neighbouring parishes. 

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Volunteers from Ketton Primary School, Scouts, Guides, Home Farm and the local community planted over 500 trees. These were planted in Hall Close, the sports ground up Pit Lane and the old allotments. Over several years of hard labour many volunteers, helped by John Downes from Home Farm, also laboriously cleared Ketton old quarry of blackthorn and hazel scrub to re-establish the fine limestone grassland.