Author: FVCA

The Great British September Clean
11-27 September 2020
Fairfield Village Community Association is thrilled to support  Keep Britain Tidy’s launch of the Great British September Clean.

We’re calling on you – our #LitterHeroes – to be part of the pick and do your bit to care for the environment on your doorstep, as we join forces to collect and safely dispose of litter from our community’s roads and open spaces.

So join us, as we stand together and declare that litter – which degrades the beauty of our environment and threatens to harm wildlife – is not acceptable.

There’s two ways you can get involved and show support for the Great British September Clean:

1. Organise a private group clean-up with up to five family & friends.

2. Pledge to do your own individual clean-up, you can give as little as 15 minutes to the campaign.

To join us in tidying up Fairfield, Wildmoor and Stoneybridge, pledge your support visit https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/get-involved/support-our-campaigns/great-british-spring-clean/

If you need to borrow litter picking equipment email admin@fvca.org.uk

At 5pm yesterday evening (5th July), residents from across Fairfield, Wildmoor & Stoneybridge came out on their doorsteps to wish the NHS a Happy 72nd Birthday and applauded all Key Workers for their service.

Due to the current situation, the annual Retro Run is gonna try something a little different this year.  With your help, Retro Run 2020 will span the Midlands and beyond!!

Over the coming weeks post a picture of you and yours on a ride, try to make it interesting with fancy dress, funky bikes and for a bonus point why not fish out a vintage Retro Run t-shirt!

Post your pics on the Retro Run Facebook page & hashtag #retrorun2020 Get them posted by the 4th July..

Best entry picture wins a prize!!!  The winner will be revealed on the 4th July via a live stream.

To help raise funds for this year’s chosen charity, please make a donation to the JustGiving page for Dodford Children’s Holiday Farm https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/retrorun2020 .

So come on, join in and let’s have some fun!

*Please remember social distancing

Fairfield Villa have announced, with regret, that that they have decided to withdraw their reserve team from the MFL reserve league for the season 20/21.

Dave Smith, the Reserve’s Tea Manager, has decided to step down, to be spend more time with his family, and the Club has made the difficult decision to discontinue the Reserve team.  Dave will still stay on as a committee member.

Dave said “I have enjoyed my time at a wonderful club however family commitment are such I needed to step away and concentrate on home life.”  “I’ll look to recharge the batteries and who knows what will happen.”

Fairfield Villa Football Club would like to place on record their thanks to Dave Smith, his staff and the players for their hard work and effort over the last 2 seasons.

The Club Chairman said “It has been a pleasure to have Dave at the club he has been a model reserve team manager who understands his role and does it very well. Let’s hope it’s not the last we see of him at our club”

Keith Draper, Manager of the First Team, has extended a welcome to the reserve team players to continue at the Club pre-season as they prepare for the new season.

Following a column strength testing, a Stourbridge Road street light column near the north planter is deemed to be a ‘category 5 status’  and thus in a potentially dangerous condition and as such Worcestershire County Council will be arranging for its removal.    It’s not a given that a new column will go in the same day but that should occur shortly afterwards.

The Community Association reported to the County Council that there is a blocked drain at the Stourbridge Road – Fairfield Court service road junction.

A response has been received by the Council saying that the gully “is under investigation, but may involve other utilities so wont be a quick fix.”

Due to Coronavirus and that many household have not been able to prepare for Floral Fairfield there will be no judging of front gardens, tubs and baskets.

Instead, why not take up our Blooming Wildlife Challenge? 

Many residents took part in No Mow May, so why not take up our new challenge and give your grass a Mohican hair-cut (or should that be MOW-hican?) and see what wildflowers grow and wildlife it attracts, then take photos and send to admin@fvca.org.uk, so that we can share with the rest of our community.  

If you feel really wild, add a bug box and some other wildlife friendly features to your garden.

Here’s some mowing tips:

• Long-grass. Leave some areas of your lawn completely unmown to allow a wide diversity of short and tall plants – such as knapweed, scabious, Lady’s-bedstraw, wild carrot and orchids – to flower. These areas should be cut with a strimmer or scythe in late summer or early autumn (ideally August, September or early October) and the grass removed. Cut again with a lawn mower on its highest setting once or twice before February, again removing the cuttings, and then leave the grass to grow from March onwards.
• Short-grass. For other areas of lawn, and for paths in and around the long-grass, cut to a height of 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) once a month to allow small plants like white clover, daisies and selfheal to flower. You’ll cut off some flowers when you do mow, but they’ll come back quickly. You can even rotate cut areas around your lawn so you always have some in flower.

The proportion of long and short grass doesn’t really matter – it’s up to you and what works best into your garden. What’s important is to have two different heights of grass, as this creates very different flower-rich habitats that will be used by a whole range of wildlife – it’s particularly beneficial for insects and also provides both cover and open spaces for birds and small mammals.