4 -± z


I RURAL LIFE


g DAREN'T look at the weather forecast. I. I will be enjoying guaranteed sunshine far 1 from England by the time you read this and 0 the last thing I want to be greeted with on


my return is the sight o f scorched courgette plants and shrivelled beans. Seriously though, we would all


welcome a decent, dry summer, not least the bees, which have struggled over recent years with wet weather and diseases like varroa. So this month we had a chat to a bee expert who provided us with some well-timed advice. Turn to pages 7&8. One place where bees are particularly


welcome is in the Storey Gardens in Lancaster, where the fruit bushes and trees need all the help they can get from pollinating insects: Their branches are now becoming heavy with fruit, promising a bumper crop. You can take a peek into these unique gardens on pages 16&17, where we talk to a group of people who are enthusiastically bringing them back to life. We also give you a potted history of


Myerscough College, which this year celebrates its 120th anniversary. The college has gone - through so many changes in that time that it is barely recognisable, but in at least one way it has come full circle. You can find out how by turning to our feature on page 21. Now is definitely strawberry time and if you


like the idea of an afternoon cream tea on the lawn with a plate o f scones turn to page 22 where you will find a recipe for these traditional English treats... but with a twist. Vet Stephen Passant has a heart-warming


story of a border collie called Becky on page 5, , our resident gardener Michelle Unsworth waxes lyrical about the scented garden on page 26 and farmer Stewart Lambert tells us about a very special garden party on page 6. If the weather is kind reach for your boots and


try the walk on page 27, and if not - well, curl up with your copy of Rural Life, and enjoy. You can also follow us on Twitter @


RuralLifeNW. NICOLA ADAM, Editor Contents


Vet column....................... Farming column Bees buzziness................. Drastic on plastic? Myerscough memories ... Tasty recipe....................... Gardening......................... Country Trails.................. Property.............................


Cover picture: Chairman of the Friends of Storey Gardens, Annie Watson - by DANIEL MARTINO


Editor, Nicola Adam: nicola.adam@jpress.co.uk


Reporter, Joyce Bishop: Tel: 077922 19671 (office hours only). Email: joyce.bishop@lep.co.uk


Advertising, Garry Darton: Tel: 07803 506008.


Email: garry.darton@jpress.co.uk Sarah Turner: Tel: 07803 506161 Email: sarah.turner@jpress.co.uk


Customer Sales team: Tel: 01772 838089


Twitter: @RuralLifeNW


GLORY RETURNS: The restoration o f The Storey Garden in Lancaster is secretary o f the Friends of Storey Gardens, S u e W n


COMPETITION Win a family pass for four at Palace Cinema If you love the movies here is a great chance


to win tickets for one o f the latest releases. One lucky reader can win a family pass for


four people to watch a film o f their choice before the end o f September 2014 at the Palace Cinema in Longridge. Coming up soon are Tammy and Guardians of the Galaxy, among others. You can see the full programme at www.thepalace-longridge. co.uk. All you have to do to have a chance of winning is answer the following questions: 1. Which Australian actress, who played


the leading role in Muriel's Wedding, also appears in Tammy? 2. Who directed this film? 3. Who plays the role of Pearl in Tammy? Send your answers, on a postcard or the


back o f a sealed envelope, t o , Longridge Cinema Competition, do Chris Leslie, Lancashire Evening Post, Oliver's Place,


d - - . j • DAnS m ARTINO RURAL LIFE I C o v e r s t o r y . . .


l (TIES are great places. But when


athe noise and bustle gets too


much, how wonderful it is to be able to find


a small patch of green


where you can escape the rush o f everyday life, sit, relax and recover.


Plenty o f cities


manage to get the balance right. Preston


has a network of fine parks, many of them accessible from the city centre, and in London, too, there are some '


magnificent stretches of green.


But there is something


• a b it special about a small, quiet space,


hidden from view, right in th e middle of a city. In Lancaster that place


is called the Storey Gardens... and what a story it has to tell. It has been around for well over a century, with records dating back to the 1600s showing its use. And, despite a period o f testing when it looked like part of the garden might be built on, it still remains today. It is fair to say that


it has been through some real highs and lows. Now, however, it appears that it might be about to hit another peak - but not without some sterling work by neighbours who are passionate about breathing life back into it. You can find out more about them - and about the gardens- by turning to o ur feature on pages 16&17


| fo o d during winter months, th e RSPB is urging people


D


to p ut out fo o d this summer, too.


Food shortages can occur a t any time o f year and this can be a major problem, especially fo r garden birds, which are currently •


trying to find fo o d to feed hungry chicks. Cool and wet conditions, such as those experienced in many parts o f th e UK last month, can make it very difficult for birds to find their staple insect food and, in particular, caterpillars. Richard James, a wildlife


advisor at the RSPB said ''N ow is the height of the birds breeding season, so


there are many busy parents looking for fo o d to feed their hungry offspring. "Birds need to find food for


their young brood quickly and d o n 't want to be away from them fo r too long, so having a supply o f seeds, mealworms ■ and suitable kitchen leftovers can really help them out." The RSPB actually sells a


th ird more b ird food in June than it does in December. The charity believes the food may be eaten more quickly than in


ESPITE a commonly-


held view that wild creatures only need help finding


other months because birds see it as a convenience and, •


just like some busy mums and \ dads, o p t fo r the easier option ; to keep their children happy ■ And it's not just birds that


I


need our help at this time ; o f year. The RSPB is asking


people to leave out fo o d fo r hedgehogs, too, such as tinned dog o r cat food, crushed biscuits o r specialist hedgehog fo o d which can brought from the.charity's


'o nline shop. Never give hedgehogs


•milk as it can cause s tomach. problems.


A year since the RSPB


launched its biggest-ever • campaign, Giving Nature a Home, almost 300,000 people have pledged to provide summer and winter: ; food for birds, p u t up a nest box or plant nectar- rich flowers among other measures to help UK wildlife. . Martin Harper, RSPB


Conservation Director, said "You can do as much o r as


little as you like. Simple steps such as putting o u t fo o d or installing a nest box can make a b ig difference. "You could even go on to


provide ponds, hedgerows and insect homes, too, to really make your home an excellent home fo r nature."


3


Fulwood, Preston, PR2 9ZA. The closing date or entries is Thursday, July 17,2014. Normal


be an°eH 1R rUl6S apply‘ Entrants ™Bt


Congratulations to the winner of last _.


month's competition: C. Herrington of Longridge won a beautiful summer hanging basket courtesy o f Oaktrees Nurseries in Bolton bv Bowland.


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