Mayor
of Galway City, Councillor Neil McNeilis will tomorrow (Sat June 30th) officially launch of
the Children’s Scarecrow Festival in the Ballinfoile Mór Community Organic
Garden.
It
promises to be something special! There to greet visitors on arrival will be a
small army of scarecrows spread out across the vegetable beds of this fantastic
outdoor community facility.
Coming
in all shapes, sizes and colours, these wonderfully crafted works of art were made
from old clothes, straw and wood by the pupils of Scoil Bhríde Menlo, Scoil
Cholmcille Naofa Castlegar and Scoil San Phroinsias Tirellan. Scarecrows were
used up until a few decades ago as a wildlife-friendly safe way of protecting
seeds and shoots, so unlike the chemical pesticides of today’s commercial
farming which degrade the soil as well as kill the bees, butterflies and other
forms of wildlife.
The
event will also be an opportunity to showcase the recent heritage and
biodiversity additions to the garden – a recycled wood fired giant mud oven, a field
of barley and oats, an apple and pear orchard, wildflower meadows, living
Willow Tree Tunnels and our new Green Leaf-funded Children’s ‘Fairyland’
Learning Zone complete with giant Toadstools, Bug Hotel and ‘What Lies Beneath’
Discovery tank.
The
aim of local volunteers is to make this community garden became an important
Outdoor Classroom and social meeting place for the residents in the Ballinfoile
and Castlegar neighbourhood.
