WOKINGHAM Town Council and Wokingham in Bloom volunteers undertook a special mission to rescue hundreds of snowdrops in the town on Thursday.
The flowers, which lay in the path of the new distributor road, next to Tesco in Wokingham would have been destroyed if the rescuers with their spades had not stepped in.
The snowdrops had been left behind after the felling of trees to make way for a new South Wokingham Distributor Road, a joint project between Wokingham Borough Council and Balfour Beatty.
Previously hidden by the trees, the bank of spring blooms became very visible once the trees were taken down.
Once they were spotted, the team of volunteer diggers was assembled, and recipient locations identified where the local snowdrops could be enjoyed by residents around the town for years to come.
More than 40 crates of snowdrops were removed and transported to new locations at Howard Palmer Gardens, Holt Copse and Joel Park, Rose Street, Wade garden, Tanners Row, Westende school, Keephatch School, Cockpit Park Community Garden, The Raglan, Langborough Wildlife Garden, South Place, The Garden Room at Wokingham Horticultural Society, and All Saints Church Yard.
Morag Malvern, chair of Wokingham in Bloom, said: “Our passionate volunteers work on many projects across the town each year, from school gardening clubs to wildlife and community gardens, parks and green spaces, sharing, rescuing and relocating plants and resources where we can.
“We are delighted to have both spotted and been able to relocate the snowdrops, this being the perfect time of year to do so.
“This could not have been achieved without the help of others, so a huge thank you to Balfour Beatty who not only granted and supervised site access but provided help digging up the precious cargo, Tesco Wokingham for free car parking throughout the day and Share-Wokingham for the crates.”
Wokingham Town Council aims to enhance the town for all current and future residents and businesses.
Its 25 councillors represent the eight wards of the town, in Emmbrook, Evendons, Norreys and Wescott, and are elected every four years.
Each year the Town Council elects one of their members to be the Town Mayor and Chairman of the Council.
Much of the organisation’s work centres around:
Amenities including parks, allotments, buildings, markets, and playgrounds.
Arts and culture; encouraging, supporting and, with other organisations, delivering artistic and cultural events.
Civic; supporting the Mayor’s civic involvement with the Town Council, including Civic Awards, Remembrance Commemorations, Town Hall visits and supporting honorary staff members.
Finance and personnel; controlling council finances and administration, and supervising the allocation of grants to local charities and community projects.
Planning and transportation; acting as a consultative body on planning applications, development proposals and transport issues.
The town council assembles at least five times a year, with meetings open to the public.
Councillors say they are grateful that so many organisations and companies work alongside them on both large and small projects, and that partnership work is often the key to success.
The agendas and minutes of town council meetings can be found on line.
For information, visit: www.wokingham-tc.gov.uk, or call: 0118 978 3185.
