Thursday 11th and Friday 12th August were busy volunteering days at Reg’s Garden adjacent to Farnborough North station. Over thirty volunteers arrived from places as far afield as Manchester and Cheltenham for a day strimming, mowing, weeding and building furniture in the miniature oasis in the Blackwater Valley. The Garden Project lead, Mike Knott, had already defined a list of tasks and these were allocated at the start of a very hot day – once again it was in the mid 30’s. It was a very productive morning, as after being shown round the garden, allotments and beehives by Steve Gotting, the crew were down to work. They earned a well-deserved lunch in the shade of the station house where the smell of freshly painted window frames and doors proved no deterrent. The protective metal grilles had also been sanded, undercoated and made ready for a topcoat the following day. Another few hours spent in the searing heat brought to an end an extremely productive day.
As your reporter left for the train back to Shalford, volunteers and others were heading off to the Prince of Wales for some delightful refreshment.
On Friday 12th, a small but select Network Rail team led by Jaime Rockhill came along to finish the painting and any other outstanding jobs.
We’re hoping that the Station House lease will be ready for viewing by Farnborough Street Residents Association (FSRA) in the very near future so that plans for the house can progress.
