DFFG Spring 2026 Newsletter
Welcome to the Denis’ Field Friends and Growers Group Spring newsletter! This is the first of a series we will be posting to keep everyone updated with events and news related to Denis’ Field, as well as gardening tips and nature notes all about the field.
Updates from DFFG
The DFFG group held the first meeting of the year in late January. We had the happy news that our recent bid for funding from Todmorden Town Council was successful! We now have the funds to build three additional raised beds at the south end of the field. This work will be ongoing in the spring. Look out for work party call outs on the WhatsApp group and Facebook page. If you are not yet on the WhatsApp group, do share your details via our mail address, [email protected] or messaging on our Facebook page.
We are still waiting for news of another grant application for new soil. Look out for that news soon. In the meantime, we have work parties planned for 22.2.26, 8.3.26 & 29.3.26. These are all Sundays and all work parties start at 11am. Come and join us for an hour or two of volunteering to help make the Field a place we can all enjoy.
And you can also get involved by joining us for our next DFFG meeting: April 12th, 4pm at 20 Woodlands Avenue.
The DFFG group held the first meeting of the year in late January. We had the happy news that our recent bid for funding from Todmorden Town Council was successful! We now have the funds to build three additional raised beds at the south end of the field. This work will be ongoing in the spring. Look out for work party call outs on the WhatsApp group and Facebook page. If you are not yet on the WhatsApp group, do share your details via our mail address, [email protected] or messaging on our Facebook page.
We are still waiting for news of another grant application for new soil. Look out for that news soon. In the meantime, we have work parties planned for 22.2.26, 8.3.26 & 29.3.26. These are all Sundays and all work parties start at 11am. Come and join us for an hour or two of volunteering to help make the Field a place we can all enjoy.
And you can also get involved by joining us for our next DFFG meeting: April 12th, 4pm at 20 Woodlands Avenue.
Gardening pointers
Now is the time to tidy! Most things have been lying fallow over the winter. Now is the time to clean up your beds and garden plots ready for spring-time planting. Prepare for seeds with weeding and turning compost into your soil. You can cover your soil with plastic sheeting or old carpet to keep it warm while the days are still chilly.
Now is the time to tidy! Most things have been lying fallow over the winter. Now is the time to clean up your beds and garden plots ready for spring-time planting. Prepare for seeds with weeding and turning compost into your soil. You can cover your soil with plastic sheeting or old carpet to keep it warm while the days are still chilly.
- You can also start chitting your potatoes – stand them in an egg box and keep them in a bright, frost-free place.
- If you are growing brassicas, remove yellow leaves now to keep diseases from spreading.
Bullfinches! (not the actual ones we saw, but just like this...)
Nature notes
Occasional notes on the developing biodiversity of Denis’ Field…
Bull finches have been seen on DF during this winter! Gorgeous colourful birds. 2 pairs of Bullfinches have been hanging around in bushes by the compost & water storage area. They are a Red-listed bird, indicating the highest conservation priority due to severe, long-term population declines or risk of global extinction.
Plus our roving nature reporter has messaged us: I saw a Treecreeper on the tree trucks by the play area. I haven't seen one on the field for a few years...a lovely little mouse like bird, which creeps systematically up the tree trucks looking for small invertebrates.
Occasional notes on the developing biodiversity of Denis’ Field…
Bull finches have been seen on DF during this winter! Gorgeous colourful birds. 2 pairs of Bullfinches have been hanging around in bushes by the compost & water storage area. They are a Red-listed bird, indicating the highest conservation priority due to severe, long-term population declines or risk of global extinction.
Plus our roving nature reporter has messaged us: I saw a Treecreeper on the tree trucks by the play area. I haven't seen one on the field for a few years...a lovely little mouse like bird, which creeps systematically up the tree trucks looking for small invertebrates.
Treecreeper (again, not the actual one, but you get the idea)
|
The roving nature reporter in situ on the field, disguised as a tonne bag.
|
Denis’ Field Community Picnic 2025
On Sunday 22nd June 2025 the Denis’ Field Friends and Growers group held a well-attended and highly successful community picnic, with live music, yummy refreshments and lots of games and activities. About 70 people of all ages attended, initially experiencing lovely warm sunshine before the rain set in!
|
|
|
2025 BioblitzIn May we held our fourth annual bioblitz. Yet more new species were discovered, including Blackcap, Dunnock and Green Finch. See bioblitz page for details.
|
Orcharch Update March 2025Shannon Smith of the Horfield Organic Community Orchard in Bristol led a day’s instruction on Winter Apple Tree Pruning with an enthusiastic group of pruners from Denis’ Friends and Growers group. She showed the group how to analyse and assess the tree’s growth and development and how to prune economically and astutely, with the future tree’s growth in mind and without damaging the tree.
|
|
Woodchip!
Huge Thank You to Viking Tree Care of Hebden Bridge for supplying the group with FREE Wood Chip! Fantastic Service! 2024/2025
Orchard Update April 2024
|
Have you noticed changes down in the Community Orchard?
Some of the apple trees have had their branches tied down with bright green string! This Spring we have been pruning and training some of the trees. Karl Roscoe, a local Community Orchard expert has been giving us lessons on how to prune and train the trees so they will hopefully be more productive – and produce more fruit. 
|
Karl has shown us how to do minimal pruning and how to tie down some of the higher branches to encourage fruit to form. The idea is that over time (at least a few years) the tree will have more horizontal branches and these will be the ones which bear fruit. The process has to be done slowly and carefully, with small amounts of pruning throughout the year. We are having regular work party sessions to slowly work our way through the orchard, pruning and training the trees.
Karl’s instruction has been invaluable – we have increased our knowledge loads. Thanks very much Karl! |
Denis' Field - Fantastic New Sign - APRIL 2023
We have installed a new sign at the entrance to the field to tell people all about how wonderful Denis' Field is...and what to look for when you are there. It even has QR codes that link to our Website and our BioBlitz page. We love it!
A HUGE Thank You to the National Lottery - Community Fund for funding this and other projects on the field
A HUGE Thank You to the National Lottery - Community Fund for funding this and other projects on the field
|
|
A Wassailing We Went - Again!
A big thank to everyone who came to sing, eat, drink, and bless the trees at our Wassailing event on Saturday 28th January 2023.
Another bumper crop is assured.
Another bumper crop is assured.
|
New growing beds at Denis' Field 9 - 10 July 2022 A huge effort by a great band of volunteers this weekend has enabled us to build and fill four new growing beds on Denis' Field. With the generous support of the National Garden Scheme and Todmorden Town Council, we bought materials and soil to make these new beds. Our volunteers then worked flat out on Saturday and Sunday to build the beds, ready for use by members of our community. Thanks to everyone who took part! |
      |
The Denis' Field Queen's Jubilee Open Day
Saturday 4th June 2022
Thanks to all those who took part in this event. We heard so many lovely childhood memories of times spent playing on the field; we decorated pebbles; we counted animal and plant species, and we shared the plans for our picnic bench and new apple trees: WATCH THIS SPACE ....
Saturday 4th June 2022
Thanks to all those who took part in this event. We heard so many lovely childhood memories of times spent playing on the field; we decorated pebbles; we counted animal and plant species, and we shared the plans for our picnic bench and new apple trees: WATCH THIS SPACE ....
MORE SUCCESS!!!
Great news! We have been granted an Award ...£2000...from the National Garden Scheme. The money will be used for more raised beds and top soil. With that and the Lottery funding we are able to make some significant developments on Denis' Field!
Great news! We have been granted an Award ...£2000...from the National Garden Scheme. The money will be used for more raised beds and top soil. With that and the Lottery funding we are able to make some significant developments on Denis' Field!
SUCCESS!!!
Denis' Field Friends and Growers Group is delighted to announce that we have been successful with a bid for funds from the National Lottery Community Fund. The Community Fund asked for bids to commemorate the Queen's Jubilee with projects that would provide a lasting legacy. We bid for money to help us develop Denis' Field as a community space. After discussions in the group, we asked for money to help us fund an event on the Jubilee weekend, and afterwards to fund an accessible picnic bench to be installed on the Field, surrounded by 7 Queen Cox apple trees.
We hope you will join us to talk about ways to make Denis' Field a welcoming community space for all people.
Please come to our event on Saturday 4th June to find out more and discuss plans to improve Denis' Field!
Denis' Field Friends and Growers Group is delighted to announce that we have been successful with a bid for funds from the National Lottery Community Fund. The Community Fund asked for bids to commemorate the Queen's Jubilee with projects that would provide a lasting legacy. We bid for money to help us develop Denis' Field as a community space. After discussions in the group, we asked for money to help us fund an event on the Jubilee weekend, and afterwards to fund an accessible picnic bench to be installed on the Field, surrounded by 7 Queen Cox apple trees.
We hope you will join us to talk about ways to make Denis' Field a welcoming community space for all people.
Please come to our event on Saturday 4th June to find out more and discuss plans to improve Denis' Field!
|
More Raised Beds for Growing!
More raised beds built and filled with beautiful new soil. Thanks to everyone who helped with this project to increase our capacity for growing on the field. If you are interested in taking a bed to grow vegetables and fruit, contact us here! These raised beds have been created through the hard work of the group, with the generous support Todmorden Town Council. Thank you to the Town Council for supporting our efforts to make Denis' Field into a great community space! |
|
Exciting news about the future of Denis' Field!!!
On 21 March 2022 The Inspector of the Calderdale Local Plan Examination sent a letter to Calderdale Council indicating the results of the Hearings on the local plan. In this letter the Inspector clearly indicates that Denis' Field should remain a community open space. It should not be turned over to housing development. Hooray!
Here's the extract from the Inspector's letter to the Council:
Housing allocation - Woodland Avenue, Todmorden (LP0901)
8. The site is currently an area of public open space used for recreational purposes, and includes a kick-about area, children’s play area, woodland and community orchard/growing area. The site, known locally as Denis’s Field, is allocated in the Plan for 16 dwellings. Replacement open space is proposed on adjoining land (LP902).
9. Based on the evidence before me I consider that the proposed loss of Denis’s Field and redevelopment for housing would detract from the character and appearance of this part of Stansfield Hall Road. Furthermore, the proposed relocation of the open space to LP902 has a number of drawbacks, linked to topography impacting on the extent of the kick-about area, reduced opportunities for overlooking, and the sub-division of the community orchard from the rest of the open space. Whilst some improvements such as better play equipment could be secured, and additional housing/affordable housing would be facilitated, I am not persuaded these would outweigh the disbenefits or that replacement open space provision would be equivalent or better. The scheme would therefore fail to accord with paragraph 74 in NPPF 2012.
10. Overall, it is concluded that housing allocation LP901 and associated relocation of the open space to LP902 is not soundly based and the proposals should be deleted from the Plan. Further reasoning will be set out in my final report.
On 21 March 2022 The Inspector of the Calderdale Local Plan Examination sent a letter to Calderdale Council indicating the results of the Hearings on the local plan. In this letter the Inspector clearly indicates that Denis' Field should remain a community open space. It should not be turned over to housing development. Hooray!
Here's the extract from the Inspector's letter to the Council:
Housing allocation - Woodland Avenue, Todmorden (LP0901)
8. The site is currently an area of public open space used for recreational purposes, and includes a kick-about area, children’s play area, woodland and community orchard/growing area. The site, known locally as Denis’s Field, is allocated in the Plan for 16 dwellings. Replacement open space is proposed on adjoining land (LP902).
9. Based on the evidence before me I consider that the proposed loss of Denis’s Field and redevelopment for housing would detract from the character and appearance of this part of Stansfield Hall Road. Furthermore, the proposed relocation of the open space to LP902 has a number of drawbacks, linked to topography impacting on the extent of the kick-about area, reduced opportunities for overlooking, and the sub-division of the community orchard from the rest of the open space. Whilst some improvements such as better play equipment could be secured, and additional housing/affordable housing would be facilitated, I am not persuaded these would outweigh the disbenefits or that replacement open space provision would be equivalent or better. The scheme would therefore fail to accord with paragraph 74 in NPPF 2012.
10. Overall, it is concluded that housing allocation LP901 and associated relocation of the open space to LP902 is not soundly based and the proposals should be deleted from the Plan. Further reasoning will be set out in my final report.
Are you keen to get involved?
Posted 9th June 2021.
With the Asset of Community Value in place (granted June 2020), the Save Denis Field group are getting busy – developing the site as a friendly community resource for all to use and enjoy.
If you are interested in helping out/want to find out more, please email http://www.savedenisfield.uk/contact.html
Alternatively leave a message on SDF Facebook page.
If you are interested in helping out/want to find out more, please email http://www.savedenisfield.uk/contact.html
Alternatively leave a message on SDF Facebook page.
Government Inspection of the Calderdale Local Plan
Currently (June 2021) we are awaiting the publication of the concluding report by the Government Inspector, regarding the full outcome of the inspection, including the decisions regarding the proposed development of Denis’ Field.
Denis' Field Friends and Growers Group
The Denis Field Friends and Growers group (Formed in 2021) developing community gardening areas (raised beds) and improving the field for all to use and enjoy.
Join Denis Field Friends and Growers group today! Membership is free.
Join Denis Field Friends and Growers group today! Membership is free.
Asset of Community Value
We are very happy to announce that Denis’ Field has been officially listed as an Asset of Community Value by Calderdale Council, as of 12 June 2020. Following an application by the Save Denis’ Field group, the Council have recognised the importance of our field as a community asset.
Todmorden Town Council have given its full support to our campaign to save the site as a public amenity throughout the Inspection of the Calderdale Local Plan
These are steps forward in our fight to save Denis’ Field for community use, but there is still much to do! If you would like to get involved, please…
Todmorden Town Council have given its full support to our campaign to save the site as a public amenity throughout the Inspection of the Calderdale Local Plan
These are steps forward in our fight to save Denis’ Field for community use, but there is still much to do! If you would like to get involved, please…
- visit our facebook page
- email us
A wassailing we went.
Big thanks to everyone who came to sing, eat, drink, and bless the trees at our wassailing event on Saturday 25th January 2020. A bumper crop is assured.
Exciting News - Todmorden Town Council have agreed to back our aims for the field and will be applying for Local Green Status for the field to Calderdale Council. (Nov 2019)
Please help us save Denis Field: sign the petition here.
