It was lovely to get our Early Years group to the cottage to make progress on their garden. They will be growing lots of different veggies and flowers which will be enjoyed in the summer.
Todays Activities:
Planted carrot, spring onion, radish, and nasturtium seeds.
Added compost to the corner bed.
Watered front garden, back garden, and pots.
Checked on seedlings in the cold frame.
Made bug hotels from milk bottles and waste paper.
Went bug hunting using magnifying glasses, spotted ants, bees, woodlice.
Enjoyed the different textures and smells of herbs in the garden – we all liked the rosemary best.
Be More Sustainable Blog – Inspirational Growers
Inspirational Growers
The Allotment Cook
Allotment holder and green fingered cook from Lincolnshire. She runs a blog, full of growing advice and seasonal recipes, and appears as the BBC radio Lincolnshire Sunday Snippet Gardener.
A Lincolnshire gardener and sustainable living advocate, whose Instagram page is packed with information and inspiration to get you growing food at home!
A passionate urban small space gardener dedicating their small London garden to food production. They share practical tips and trick on youtube and tiktoc to encourage others to start growing their own, even in the smallest spaces.
One UK grandpa sharing his love of growing with audiences across the world through tiktoc. With cosy videos sharing useful growing information, this grandpa will guide you through how to start growing your own food at home.
It was great to see so many residents and visitors at our ‘Lights Off Navenby’ event on Saturday, as the village was brought to life with light art, nature and astronomy!
Kicking off with a Bat Walk led by rangers from Hill Holt Wood, the evening continued with astronomical photography with Lincoln Astronomic Society, and painting with light using PixelSticks, enabling visitors to ‘print’ a picture in the air. The world, wildlife and even Mrs Smith herself were transformed into dynamic new images!
A big thank you to all involved in helping to organise and deliver the event, including the Lincoln Astronomical Society, Hill Holt Wood, The Hub, 1st Wellingore Scout Group, Macy’s Brasserie and Navenby C of E Primary School.
Did you visit during the event? We’d love to see your photos – be sure to tag us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @MrsSmithsCottage #LightsOffNavenby
‘Lights Off Navenby’ was funded as part of the Mrs Smith’s Cottage Restoration project, through the National Lottery Heritage Fund and North Kesteven District Council. The National Lottery Heritage Fund ‘Thanks To You’ event enabled anyone with a lottery ticket or scratch card to get a free drink from Macy’s Brasserie.
Be a little bit more Hilda…
Throughout 2022, the team at Mrs Smith’s Cottage will be sharing practical everyday skills inspired by Mrs Smith’s low waste lifestyle and helping us understand seasonal eating, food production, and waste disposal methods to make more sustainable choices.
With a season of workshops, talks, and events at the cottage, online, and around North Kesteven, the programme will culminate in an almanac-style guide giving practical low waste advice inspired by Mrs Smith’s life, interspersed with quotes from Mrs Smith’s diaries.
Have a look at the ‘Be More…’ webpage for more information and a guide to all the events lined up!
Coming up in April
We’re open to guests on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Mondays, 12pm-4pm. Mrs Smith’s door was always open to drop-in visitors, and so are we! Due to the small size of the building we recommend booking your visit in advance to avoid disappointment.
As well as our usual opening, we have these great events coming up in April:
Throughout the Easter Half Term, have a go at Spring Bingo! A free trail to pick up from the Mrs Smith’s Cottage shop, take it with you on walks and see how long it takes for you to spot the signs of spring!
While you’re there you can also collect a Spring Flowers Craft Pack – This simple kit contains everything you need to create a set of adorable spring flowers.
Thursday 7th April is our Willow Weaving Workshop – create your own beautiful obelisk to add character to your outdoor space! Book your place here.
On Saturday 9th April there will be a Buzz About Bees at the cottage: The Artisan Honey Co. will be joining us in the garden, with observation and demonstration hives, talking about bee keeping and the fascinating world of our favourite pollinators!
On Tuesday 12th we are running a Rag Rug workshop, the ideal opportunity to learn a new skill as a family.
On Thursday 14th we’re having a Teacher’s Open Afternoon – join the education team at Mrs Smith’s Cottage for an exciting opportunity to experience our learning offers first hand. Explore the cottage, have a go at our Wash Day workshop, delve into our Loans Boxes and share your feedback over a cup of tea with our team. No need to book, simply drop in!
On Easter Sunday 17th, 12-4pm we’ll be holding a twist on a traditional Easter Egg Hunt – book your visit to the cottage and bring the little ones for felty family fun!
Poetry Competition Winners
Thank you to those of you who entered our Navenby themed Poetry Competition! The winning poems will be on display at the Cottage and on 11th April we’ll be handing out the prize to the competition winners.
Newsletter – March 2022
We’re looking forward to a busy March at Mrs Smith’s Cottage…
Here’s a rundown of what we have lined up this month:
Friday 4th March, 6pm-7:30pm is our Earth Hour taster event at the Venue in Navenby (more details below)
Monday 7th March you will be able to pick up our Signs of Spring trail, as well as our new Spring Flowers craft pack.
From Friday 18th-Monday 21st we’ll be displaying the entries for our Poetry Competition. Find details of how you can enter below!
On Saturday 26th from 7pm-9:30pm we’ll be joining the rest of the world to celebrate Earth Hour with our Lights Off Navenby event. Read on to find out more…
Lights Off Navenby – celebrate Earth Hour with us!
For one hour on the 26th March 2022, Navenby will join people the world over in celebrating Earth Hour as they switch off their lights and appreciate nature in new ways. Throughout March, a programme of activities will inspire residents, businesses and organisations to create a dark village for one hour, encouraging people to discover and celebrate nature.
Centered around Mrs Smith’s possessions and life story we will invite villagers to reflect, then write and seal their promise in illuminated jars. Bat walks led by Hill Holt Wood and star gazing activities will allow people to safely enjoy elements of nature which otherwise might not be appreciated. Villagers will bring these together on the night to make a series of community light portraits, using the dark night as a canvas.
Lessons from Mrs Smith’s Cottage will help people investigate their own use of resources and help them to ‘be more Hilda’ (#BeMoreHilda). We will be working with local schools and groups to share this and inspire people with the example of Mrs Smith’s sustainable lifestyle.
On Friday 4th March (6pm-7:30pm) The Lights Off team will be holding a drop-in taster session at the Venue in Navenby where you can have a go using pixel sticks and long exposure photography to paint with light. Bring a jam jar and create a promise jar lantern ahead of the main event on Saturday 26th March! This weekend also happens to be Discover Lincolnshire Weekend – another great reason to visit us!
#BeMoreHilda #NavenbyLightsOff #ActOnClimate
Families and Education at the Cottage
Have you heard about our Early Years group, the NavenBees? Join our Facebook group to find out more and book onto one of our sessions. We’ve also introduced a gardening group for those little green fingers!
We also have some great offers for schools – as well as school trips we can provide loans boxes, outreach visits and classroom resources. You can find out more here.
The best way to keep up-to-date with our education offer is to sign up to our regular email updates, which you can do by emailing your details to [email protected].
And later this year…
We can’t wait to share the events programme for our #BeMoreHilda project, running from April through to October. So far we’ve planned vegetable dye workshops, seasonal forages, pantry talks, edible flower workshops and much more.
‘Lights Off Navenby’ – Earth Hour at Mrs Smith’s Cottage
26-3-2022 SAVE THE DATE!
Every year, at 8.30pm on the last Saturday in March, millions of people across the world turn their #LightsOff to show their support for our planet, raising awareness of nature loss and climate change. This year we’re championing a more sustainable lifestyle inspired by Mrs Smith and her life with our ‘Lights Off Navenby’ event.
Keep an eye out across our socials and on our website for updates on activity and events in March. You could try your hand at painting with light stargazing or even go on a bat walk!
The team will be holding a taster session at the Venue in Navenby on Friday 4 March from 6pm-7:30pm. With the support of the Lights Off team you will be able to have a go with ‘pixel sticks’ and long exposure photography to paint with light. Participants are also invited to bring a jam jar along to the event and create a promise jar lantern to take home.
The main event will take place on Saturday 26 March from 8:30pm-9:30pm.
We're sorry, this feature may place cookies in your browser and has been disabled.
To continue using this functionality, please open cookie preferences and accept 'Social Media, Video and Third Party Cookies'.
26-3-2022 
SAVE THE DATE! 
stargazing 
or even go on a bat walk! 
