Time flies by – the Summer is gone and Winter is approaching fast. At our October meeting we discussed our Springtime planting and hopefully this will fill the town with cheerful colour next March onwards.

            To say our volunteers were disappointed with yet another silver award for the Yorkshire in Bloom competition goes without saying. Despite all the extra money ploughed into the Summer displays by ourselves, the Town Council, the District Council and donorship, it seems that even all that, plus our efforts, was not sufficient to warrant a silver gilt. However, like the song says, we'll "pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down, and start all over again"!

            Good news is that next year we will be re-instating our "In House Gardens" competition. This will be widely publicised nearer the time in The Mercury, along with a cut out entry form, so start planning your own gardens, pots, patios, window boxes etc., as this competition has many categories and suits all types of gardeners. Please do support us and make 2010 our best year ever for entries. More details of this will be in the March issue of The Beacon.

            The new garden installed by the children of St. Josephs R.C. Primary School has received much interest and raised very favourable comments. As the children will not be gardening again until Spring our volunteers have planted out a delightful display to catch the eye and will welcome the School's Gardening Club back again then. The Girl Guides are celebrating their Centenary and have now planted out the bottom garden in Hallgarth. We welcome them as part of our youth programme.

            It is with regret that I have to report increased vandalism affecting PIB. Shrubs have been pulled out of the bridge garden in The Ropery and thrown into the beck, plants have been pulled out of tubs and thrown down and, of course, the phantom plant thief was busy stealing from the roundabout mangers as soon as they were planted for the Spring and then the Summer. Suffice to say that the Police are now involved and hopefully the guilty ones will be      apprehended and punished. It is so     frustrating to see all our hard work being constantly undone and any information regarding these incidents would be greatly appreciated.

            I am over the moon to report that, thanks to The Beacon, we now have three new volunteers. We still need more, so please do think it over and contact myself (477799) or Janet at The Design Corner (top of Market Place). One hour a week is all you need to do – no heavy digging etc. involved. How about it?

            I would take this opportunity of mentioning the ever increasing number of people who take the time to stop and thank our volunteers for the great improvement in the look of the town – it has been very noticeable and we thank everyone for this – it makes it all worthwhile.

            Compliments of the Season to everyone (in advance). Suffice to say that hiding under the fog, rain and snow is a Pickering just waiting to burst into bloom.

Eileen Blakeley.