Another one bites the dust

Is it really possible,that we have reached the end of another year ? We moved through our 9th anniversary in September. We all remember being told that time would fly and it has. It has been another remarkable year, with so much going on. In January we took delivery of our new greenhouse. Donated by Eden glasshouses of Cheltenham, this 20 foot pavilion has been a great asset. In february it was made even better through the kindness of local Rotarians, who paid to shelve and stage it. The allotment set was completed in March when we bought a substantial shed. The dedication of these units to the allotment has greatly assisted in the housekeeping of that space. March was also a good month for the woodworkers. We were able to complete the floor to ceiling racking of the workshop,which has given us great storage potential and Dowtys stepped in to offer us recycled timber as and when we need it. In April and May it was all hands on deck as we
committed to planting everywhere. We had a procession of people donating and planting commemorative trees in the meadow,including Laurence Robertson and Martin Horwood our two local M.P's. The vegetable plot has never been so busy. At the end of June students took part in the Cheltenham Circular challenge and in July we spent a week at the opera, working in the grounds of the wonderful West Green House in Hampshire.
August,described by some as the holiday month, wasn't here. Students turned out in there droves throughout the month. The summer also saw Julie Pullen start up her classroom. The enterpise,'Sharp Life and Learning' which is an independant satellite of The Butterfly Garden is offering teaching to those wishing to improve their numeracy.literacy and I.T skills. It is a partnership that is working well and which is a purposeful add on to the site provision.

Through September, there were more new arrivals,with the colleges and schools reappearing. This autumn we were delighted to welcome Alderman Knight School to the club and now see their students as well regulars  from  Milestones and Betteridge Schools across four days each week. Waitrose also committed to gathering aluminum cans for us and the county funded a waste compactor.
October was the month of the video,when our commitment to recycling them took off and when Cheltenham Borough started collecting for us. We have taken in thousands. in November we embarked on yet another adventure and opened a Pound shop. Students have wanted a shop for sometime and now they have one. We have been playing with it over the last few weeks and will formally open in 2012.

December has been a month of visitors and parties, indeed there will be three over the next week.

The celebration of 2011 closes with the most enormous thank you.

None of our activity have been possible without the kindness and consideration of our community at every level.Our volunteers who have cooked, sawn and sewn . Who have worked tirelessly to tidy and repair and who have jumped from planes,run marathons and tri-athalons,sold cakes,knitted gloves,donated bric a brac and told there friends about us. We close the year sending out a huge thank you. We promise that we will work to do justice to your belief and will strive to make next year extraordinary.

Happy Christmas.