Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and Wildlife Project
“A fantastic and perfect place to learn in……!”
That was David Bellamy’s verdict after his visit on Sunday to a Brighton community project organised by Martin Pett, BAP officer for the City Council. With the Deputy Mayor Councillor Carol Theobald, and other local dignitaries, David Bellamy the renowned biologist of television fame enjoyed a lunchtime visit to the Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and Wildlife Project (www.seedybusiness.org) yesterday as part of the Big Biodiversity Butterfly Count.
Lucky with the weather
On a sunny Sunday the party was welcomed by hostess, Katie Turner, 21, the leader for the day. First port of call was the pizza oven where Katie had been working from dawn to prepare the day’s lunch mainly culled from the abundant fruit and vegetables on the allotment.
A guided tour for the guests
Some students from Falmer School’s Youth Inclusion Project came to meet David Bellamy with their mentors Coleen Davis and Pat Beach. The boys – Aiden Robinson, Jack Harvey and Bradley Goode – quickly established a rapport with our distinguished visitor and proudly took him on a guided tour of the new Treehouse classroom, the pizza oven and the roundhouse.
A role model
David Bellamy quickly won their attention through his interest in their work. Bradley remembers being told as a small child that he would turn out to be like David Bellamy, “My mum said I was going to be you!” Aiden Robinson a native of Darlington was very pleased to make a North East connection once he discovered that David Bellamy, originally from East End of London, has a house near Bishop Auckland.
Lunch with help from the allotment
Katie Turner, Vanessa Tourle and Sally Cresswell were busy meanwhile conjuring up mouth-watering pizzas from the new oven; delicious fruit tarts and a huge salad from the allotment produce. There was little chance for observing the butterflies but the trip was nevertheless a great success. As Kevin McCarthy, a local teacher, volunteer and member of the Project’s management committee observed, “It was great to see another bunch of visitors, including colleagues from Dorothy Stringer and the Sussex Wildlife Trust discovering this hidden gem so close to the town but such a precious resource for the community.”
To contact the project and find out when the community allotment is open, visit www.seedybusiness.org or ring Warren Carter on 07988 837951
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