ART IN THE GARDEN

SYDENHAM ARTISTS TRAIL  2017
 SUNDAY 9 JULY 
SATURDAY 15 & SUNDAY16 JULY 

Now in its ninth year, the Sydenham Artists Trail is more walkable than ever.

This year more than 190 artists are taking part. In Mayow Park, Grow Mayow Community Gardens and the Brown and Green café are hosting painters, photographers, jewellers, mosaic and installation artists, workshops and demos. From the park it’s a short walk to the Thorpes for painters, potters, jewellers, basket-makers, glass artists and many more.

MORE ABOUT THE TRAIL YOU CAN FIND HERE

OUR BEES

In the back of our garden we are keeping bees for over 10 years 

and they are thriving well.

KIDS AND BEES

The mission of the Kids and Bees program is to educate the next generation of citizens on the importance of bees and inspire them to take part in the bees' preservation.  

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Our bees provide one out of every three bites of food that we eat.  

No bees, no food, no us

  

It's also a commonly known fact that our bees are in trouble.  

Annual losses of honey bee colonies are in the tens of thousands. 

We are losing our bees at unsustainable rates.  

It will be up to the next generation to not only understand their importance, but to take action in their conservation. 

HONEY BEES ARE THE MOST PERFECT POLLINATORS

They pollinate the fruit trees and the orchard in Mayow park the vegetables and plants in our garden and many gardens and other green spaces around us.

We invite schools to come and learn the importance of bees and the local Philip and st Neri school even sponsored a hive. Schools are now extremely keen and many already have nature gardens/mini allotments and are sympathetic to the cause of the bee.We have protective clothing for classroom kids and they will learn the importance of a honey bee.

We  are on the 'The Bees needs Award' goverment page and you can read it here:

Celebrating the nation's Bees' Needs pollinator heroes 

Should I keep bees?

Honeybees play a vital role in our eco system, pollinating flowering plants, trees and crops.
Bees can do well in an urban environment where there is a rich diversity of plants, flowers and trees in our gardens, railway sidings, roads and disused pieces of land.
They are also a good way to reconnect urban dwellers with nature. Many of us are suffering from what has been termed "nature-deficit disorder" and one remedy is to come home after a hard day in the office and watch your honeybees bringing nectar and pollen into their hive.
We need more green spaces in our cities and becoming a beekeeper is part of a growing movement to green our cities. If you love honey, then you'll be glad to hear that honey from cities is thought to be more flavoursome than honey from the countryside because of the diversity of nectar on offer.

Although not scientifically proven, local honey is also said to cure hay fever.    

The neighbours?
We told all our immediate neighbours and sent leaflets out and in our case it was even on the local radio, but that was 10 years ago. Most neighbours know we have bees and that they benefit their gardens too.
If you are going to be keeping bees I advise you to tell your neighbours too,
but there are no laws that say you have to.
Bees are only interested in nectar and pollen from flowers, unlike wasps which are carnivorous, so the bees should not bother your neighbours. Once people know this they usually have no problem.
However bees can become defensive and are more likely to sting when the beekeeper opens up and inspects the hive. But what will you do if you get intruders entering your house?

Click on Photo

More Bees news here;
What's the buzz?

Thinking of keeping bees? 
below is an interesting documentary 

SPANISH FOR TODDLERS

SPANISH STORY TIME WITH ROMINA

Romina is a native speaker from Argentina. 

Come and join her every Friday @ 10.30am f

More info you can find more here 

or contact Romina @

Lapelotti@yahoo.com.ar 

( 1 to 5 years olds) 

Speaking a second language  Studies have demonstrated the cognitive benefits of learning another language, no matter how old you are. Memory improvement, longer attention span, and a reduced risk of age-related cognitive decline, are just a few of the known positive effects of speaking two or more languages.

WHAT'S THE BUZZ?

Grow Mayow has been shortlisted for a public vote in Tesco’s Bags of Help initiative!

Three groups in every Tesco region have been shortlisted to receive the cash award and shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant.

GROW MAYOW COMMUNITY GARDEN

 is one of the groups on the shortlist with the project:

BEES FOR ALL 

Bees need help and to stimulate curiosity in young people about the importance of honey bees in our lives and the need to understand, embrace and to care about their well-being.

Children are fascinated with bees and we like to expand our bee education project

We will be running educational programmes focused on beekeeping bee education and honeybee conservation for schools and families.

The goal is to create connections between bee education, and planting for pollinators.

No bees, no food, no us

BEE OUR GUEST

Voting is open in stores throughout May and June. 

Customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop.

Vote for us in the following stores, just a small purchase and no need to buy a bag!!

EXPRESS STORES:
BELL GRN CATFORD EXPRESS; FOREST HILL EXPRESS; GROVE PARK EXPRESS; LOAMPIT VALE EXPRESS; DOWNHAM BROMLY RD EXPRESS; HITHER GREEN LANE EXPRESS; LEWISHAM WAY EXPRESS; SYDENHAM EXPRESS; DEPTFORD HIGH ST EXPRESS; LEWISHAM HIGH ST EXPRESS; CATFORD RUSHEY RD EXPRESS; MARINE WHARF EXPRESS and SYDENHAM ROAD EXPRESS.

SUPERSTORES:
CATFORD & LEWISHAM.

THANK YOU 

M O N D A Y S

NIMBLE TOTS

STORYTELLING, MUSIC AND CREATIVITY FOR 0-5

Every Monday 
from 10.15am mixed ages 

&

11.15am for babies

Nimble Tots is a South East London based music and storytelling organisation, aimed at delivering high quality, creative and inclusive music, story and drama workshops for 0-5s and their parents and carers, founded by storyteller and cellist Becky Dixon.

The charge is £5.50 if people sign up for the whole term,
 £6 if they buy a 6-class flexicard (most popular option - it can be used across any Nimble Tots sessions with no expiry date) 
or £7 to PAYG (either cash or booking individual session online). 
Siblings - or kids with the same carer - under 1 are free, and over 1 are £3 (or cheaper for the term booking).

People can book at www.nimbletots.co.uk