Page 49 - Phonebox Magazine February 2008

Protect your plants in case of frost in February
During the dormant period, many plants succumb to frost or to cold, excessively wet soil. Leaves may become frost-bitten and roots can rot. So it’s important to protect your plants before frost strikes, to ensure a good display the following year.
G Transfer succulents into grit and place in a mini green house in a sheltered place.
G Apply 5cm (2in) of mulch around tender perennials.
G Add an extra layer of grit on the soil surface of potted tender
perennials.
G Cut back leaves and side shoots on tropical plants and wrap them in a layer of straw held in by a willow screen or chicken wire.
G Leave fronds on tree ferns and protect trunks with straw and chicken wire.
Olney-Newton Link
Readers may have seen an article in The Independent published on Christmas Eve which referred to the conditions in Sierra Leone. This is particularly relevant to the work of the Olney-Newton Link and the observations made by Dr Brian Partridge following his participation in the visit to Newton during October last year. The whole country is lacking in health facilities and personnel, with only around ten surgeons for a country population of around five million spread over an area the size of Scotland and with poor road communications and no rail system. One in every four babies fail to live to the age of five years and one in six mothers die in childbirth. Life expectancy for women is 42, and for men just 39. Not surprisingly, considering the harsh conditions, families tend to have six or seven children to allow for the risks of early deaths, the need for enough members of the family to gather firewood, collect water, tend to animals and grow their own food. Incomes are extremely low with 70% living on less than 50 pence per day, and 26% live in extreme poverty where defined as below a calorific intake of 2700 calories per day. Less than half the population has access to safe and clean water and less than one third have access to sanitation. These statistics alone explain the apparent lethargy of many, particularly under the hot and humid conditions under which they live. Considering education the ratio of boys to girls in primary school is now almost equal but less than 70% are enrolled in primary school. Compare this with the UK figure of 100%! The economy of the country is one of the poorest in the world with a GDP per capita of approximately $200, compared with the UK figure of $37,000.
So where has the Olney-Newton Link fitted into this picture?
Before Christmas the ‘Be A Star’ appeal raised £350 for the provision of school furniture; the First Year children of Olney Infants School raised £760 for the improvement of drinking water provision at the REC School, we have sent a further £2,000 towards the Skills Training Centre, and we have completed the installation of a generator at the Health Clinic.
Thank you to all you have contributed to the Link; for further information please visit our website: www.olney-newtonlink.co.uk
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Phonebox Magazine 49